Cottonbro / PexelsThe number of children and adolescents experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety nearly doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the conclusion of a meta-analysis that evaluated data from 29 studies involving 80,879 participants aged 18 and under from various countries. According to the study, conducted by Nicole Racine, a psychologist from the University of Alberta, Canada, and colleagues, one in four children and adolescents (25.2%) presents clinical signs of depression, while one in five (20.5%) show symptoms of anxiety (JAMA Pediatrics, August 9). The estimated rates before the pandemic period were 12.9% and 11.6% respectively. The frequency of symptoms was higher in studies that collected data in the more recent stages of the pandemic and from older individuals.
