Pandemic Lockdowns Were Harmful to Canadian Childrens’ Mental Health, Experts Testify

Students arrive at an elementary school in Mississauga, Ont., on Jan. 19, 2022. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

Pandemic lockdowns had a negative impact on Canadian children’s mental and physical health that continues to linger, according to expert testimony at a parliamentary committee on Sept. 29.

“Canada’s children and youth have borne the brunt,” said Bruce Squires, president of McMaster Children’s Hospital of Hamilton, at an appearance before the Standing Committee on Health, which was studying children’s health.

“Their development—physical, emotional, social, spiritual—has been impacted severely by learning loss, reductions in access to physical activity, social isolation and delays in access to care. The data are striking,” he added, mentioning that some children have been waiting up to two and a half years to access specialized mental health services.

Dr. Quynh Doan, a clinical scientist with the University of B.C. Department of Pediatrics and an emergency room physician at B.C. Children’s Hospital of Vancouver also testified at the meeting. She said a survey of over 400 children spanning several months found the majority of youth reported some degree of “psychosocial difficulties.”

“We found older youth were statistically more likely to report severe difficulties in the psychiatric domain,” Doan said.

“Youth who were not attending any formal educational programs either at home or in person at a time when school would normally be in session were twice more likely to report greater severity in the psychiatry and youth health domains compared to youth who were in full time, in-person school,” she added.

Early Concerns

Two Canadian studies done early in the pandemic suggest the lockdowns, which left children more isolated, had adverse effects on their mental health from the beginning.

“These measures [lockdowns] have been key to help curb the spread of COVID-19, but at the same time they have significantly altered Canadian families’ daily life,” said a 2020 Government of Canada report that looked at the impacts of the pandemic on Canadian children with cognitive, behavioural or emotional disabilities.

Almost two-thirds of the parents surveyed in the report said they were concerned about the effects of loneliness and isolation on their children during the pandemic.

“Physical distancing requirements, disruptions in school and the cancellation of extracurricular activities, social events and other supports due to the pandemic, left many families and children isolated,” the report said.

Nine out of 10 parents reported that their child engaged in screen time daily, and three-quarters of those parents said they were concerned with the amount of screen time their child engaged in.

A Grade 6 student takes part in a virtual school session with her teacher and classmates via Zoom from her home. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

Half of the parents reported that they were concerned about the amount of physical activity their children were getting.

“The province-wide or regional lockdowns that ensued early on during the pandemic resulted in significant disruptions in children’s schooling with most having to adjust to an online learning experience,” the report stated.

The study found that 59 percent of parents surveyed said they were concerned about their children’s school year success.

Another study released in the European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry journal [pdf] drew similar conclusions.

It found that although all children experienced greater stress from social isolation, children with a prior psychiatric diagnosis experienced higher levels of deterioration in their mental health due to pandemic lockdowns.

“The strongest predictor of deterioration of mental health was experiencing increased stress from social isolation,” the study said. “Efforts to maintain or adapt, rather than cancel, children’s activities should be encouraged.”

“Keeping schools open safely and maintaining or adapting activities so they can continue to be offered will go a long way to protecting and addressing children’s mental health and well-being,” Dr. Daphne Korczak, a contributor to the study, said in Feb. 2021.