Online education attitudes, internet use habits, and weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders

Objectives: To investigate the online education participation attitudes of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders during pandemics, their internet using habits, weight gain status. Methods: Internet using habits, weight gain status, anxiety and depressive symptom severity of participants with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depressive disorder during the first year of the pandemic are compared with the healthy controls. Results: COVID-19 related psychiatric symptoms were significantly more common in the depression and anxiety group. ADHD or depression group had lower attendance to the online classes and made online friends more frequently. Duration of social media use was significantly higher in the anxiety and depressive disorder groups. Weight change ratio of the ADHD group from the beginning of the pandemic was greater than the controls. Conclusion: During the pandemic period, anxiety or depression groups exhibited more intense psychiatric symptoms. ADHD or depression, play a role in their lower participation in classes, putting these groups at an academic disadvantage compared to their typically developing peers.