Summary:
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted various aspects of people’s lives, including mental health, physical well-being and employment. Children, especially those in early childhood, also experienced heightened stress. Institutions providing early childhood care transitioned to remote education, depriving children of essential social interactions. Pre-schoolers, in particular, spent excessive time in front of screens, negatively affecting their memory and language development. Lack of physical activity such as play time during the pandemic further impacted children’s cognitive, physical, and emotional functions. The pandemic also led to issues in children’s sleep patterns and nutrition. One study from the United States found lower cognitive ability in children born during the pandemic, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of its impact on children. This study aims to investigate the effects of the pandemic on the psycho-motor development of children aged 6 to 36 months, with a focus on those between 2 to 5 years. The results showed that there was more of an impact on children’s developmental health at younger ages but that the pandemic also exacerbated the negative effects on older children’s development, particularly in fine motor skills.
Abstract:
This study aims to examine the pandemic’s effect on the psycho-motor development of children aged 6–36 months during the Covid 19 pandemic period and now aged 2–5 years. This study was cross-sectional and children (n = 150) aged 2–5 years were included in the study. Data were collected using the Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (ADSI) in 2022. The proportion of children included in the study who have general development, language-cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, and social skill-self-care development levels at a delay-suspiciously were 25.4%, 18.0%, 58.7%, 22.0%, and 25.3%, respectively. Children’s overall development and specific areas of development are more positively affected by the younger age of the child. Additionally, shorter pregnancies, earlier pregnancies, and father involvement in childcare all have positive effects on child development. During the pandemic period, the fact that older children stay at home has further negatively affected their development. Fine motor development was most negatively affected.
Article Publication Date: 27/11/2023
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47865-4
