Impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children and clinical practice in Turkey: a narrative review with recommendations.

Abstract

Introduction The novel coronavirus disease COVID-19, which first appeared on November 17, 2019 in the Hubei province of China, was later declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) (1). The pandemic has drastically changed the lives and daily routines of millions of people worldwide. Numerous factors influence the nature and extent of the pandemic’s impact on children, including developmental age, educational status, special needs status, pre-existing mental health conditions, economic disadvantage, and quarantine status (of children or their family members) (2). The following sections discuss the impact of the pandemic on children and assess the effectiveness of various interventions employed to improve their mental health during pandemics (both previous and current) in Turkey.