Date Presented 04/22/2023
This scoping review examined the impact of COVID-19 on childhood occupations. This study will inform researchers and clinicians by providing an overview of current information available concerning the impacts of COVID-19 on childhood occupations.
Primary Author and Speaker: Elizabeth Ann Benton
Additional Authors and Speakers: Allison Peterka, Jaya Pitts, Brooke Trammell, Hope E. Williams, Sharon Cosper, Teal Benevides
PURPOSE: COVID-19 has impacted individuals of all ages globally. It is imperative for occupational therapy providers to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on occupational performance of children (Cusinato et al., 2020). The purpose of our research is to examine the impact of COVID-19 on childhood occupations.
DESIGN: We conducted a scoping review of the gray and published literature and followed a multi-step protocol (Levac et al., 2010).
METHOD: Articles were included if they evaluated participants ages 3-18y and described an impact on childhood occupations. Information sources included: PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. Gray literature was included if measurable data was available. We extracted the following variables for synthesis: country of origin, age, gender, and area of occupation impacted.
RESULTS: Research is ongoing, but preliminary themes suggest that COVID-19 has had positive and negative impacts on childhood occupations such as education, leisure, and sleep.
CONCLUSION: Findings of this study will inform future researchers by providing a basic understanding of current information available concerning the impacts of COVID-19 on childhood occupations and expose any gaps in the literature. This study will enable clinicians to understand preliminary impacts of COVID-19 on clients and adjust their practice accordingly. Our study suggests that OT practitioners should invest in future research to examine the impact of COVID-19 on this population.
References
Cusinato, M., Iannattone, S., Spoto, A., Poli, M., Moretti, C., Gatta, M., & Miscioscia, M. (2020). Stress, resilience, and well-being in Italian children and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8297. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228297
Levac, D., Colquhoun, H., & O'Brien, K. K. (2010). Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implementation Science, 5(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-5-69
