Preparing for the COVID-19 paediatric mental health crisis: A focus on youth reactions to caretaker death

Abstract

To promote clinician preparedness for working with children and adolescents who lost or will lose a parent or caretaker to COVID-19, findings from a review of the literature concerning youth reactions to parent and caretaker death and incapacitation were integrated with recent and emergent data concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and adolescents who lose a parent or caretaker are at an increased risk of anxiety and depressive reactions and disorders, externalizing and health-risk behaviours, and substance use disorders. Particular aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic may influence these presentations and the risk of complicated grief. Youth with prior histories of adverse childhood experiences as well as boys and young men may require special considerations in formulation and planning. Tailored paediatric care based on the evidence advances accurate formulations and effective interventions for children and adolescents who suffer such a loss.