Psychological and socioeconomic assessment of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients and its impact on clinical course during the coronavirus disease 2019 era, a single-center experience
Hala H. Mansour, Eman A. Abdalraheem, Ayman E. Eskender, Fayrouz Solyman, Sara TarekBackground
The most common psychiatric disorders in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are depression and anxiety; however, some epidemiologic and biological evidence suggests other disorders. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a significant negative impact on the psychological well-being of patients with IBD.
Aim and objectives
This study was conducted to assess the psychological and socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 on Egyptian children with IBD.
Patients and methods
This observational cross-sectional study was conducted at Pediatric GIT outpatient clinic, at a tertiary hospital. The study included 50 male and female children with IBD, aged 6–14 years. A psychological assessment was performed using Conner’s scale. The El-Gilany modified score was used to determine the socioeconomic level of the study group, and IBD activity was assessed using IBD activity indices, including the pediatric ulcerative colitis activity index and pediatric Crohn’s disease activity index.
Results
The study was conducted on 50 children with IBD, including 15 with ulcerative colitis, 12 with Crohn’s disease, and 23 unclassified. Psychological assessment using Conner’s score revealed deterioration in most items.
Conclusion
This study revealed that almost all items of Conner’s psychological assessment score deteriorated during the COVID-19 era in IBD patients, accompanied by a deterioration in the clinical activity index. Additionally, a negative relationship was found between socioeconomic status and psychological impact; higher socioeconomic status patients were less affected psychologically compared with those with lower socioeconomic status.