The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health of Children and Adolescents With Developmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Children with developmental disabilities were susceptible groups to mental health problems during the COVID-19 due to quarantine and closure of educational and rehabilitation centers. This scoping review investigates the consequences of mental health in these children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Articles were extracted by searching PubMed, Scopus, and ISI databases, between January 1, 2020 and September 12, 2022. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, observational and experimental studies that investigated the mental health status of children with developmental disabilities were included.

A total of 40 studies were selected. Accordingly, the prevalence of mental health and behavioral symptoms during COVID-19 significantly increased across most of the studies compared with pre-COVID-19 and control groups. These studies showed correlations and risk factors for mental health outcomes.

This scoping review demonstrated that several mental health issues during COVID-19 require comprehensive attention to planning and implementing specific strategies and creating the appropriate mental health services for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities.