(2017). 9th International Congress on Psychopharmacology & 5th International Symposium on Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology: Vol. 27, 9th International Congress on Psychopharmacology & 5th International Symposium on Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Abstracts, pp. 85-180.

The study’s purpose was to investigate the mental health and related variables of parents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) child during COVID-19 home confinement. The study data is based on the evaluation of online self-report questionnaires that assess parental distress, burnout, and coping levels, as well as parent-proxy reports of autism severity and related behavioral issues, as described by the parents of 79 children with ASD and their 83 typically developing age- and sex-matched opponents. The burnout and adaptive coping levels of the parents with ASD children were greater than those of the controls. However, there was no significant difference in terms of general distress levels. Increased irritability was the most commonly reported symptom among children with ASD. However, behavioral issues in children were the strongest predictor of parental burnout, whereas maladaptive coping skills were linked to general distress. This study emphasizes the significance of treating the behavioral issues of children with ASD and the coping strategies of their parents for the mental well-being of this vulnerable population and their parents during home confinement.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures for controlling the pandemic adversely affected child and adolescent mental health; however, studies that examined the effects of the pandemic on child and adolescent mental health services are limited. This study aimed to determine the changes in admission to a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic (CAPOC) in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the previous year. Methods: In this study, the information regarding admissions to Başkent University Faculty of Medicine’s CAPOC between March 2019 and March 2021 was examined. Information including age, sex, admission date, the form of admission (first admission/follow-up), and the diagnosis was obtained from the electronic medical record system and the differences between the pre-pandemic period and the pandemic period were assessed. Results: It was found that during the pandemic, there was a decrease in CAPOC admissions; however, both female admissions and median age increased compared with the previous year. Also, admissions due to obsessive-compulsive disorder and somatic symptom-related disorders increased. Conclusions: Although there were fewer CAPOC admissions during the pandemic period compared with the pre-pandemic period, there were differences between the age, sex, and diagnosis distributions of the patients between the pandemic and the pre-pandemic period. Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CAPOC admissions will help plan child and adolescent mental health protective measures.