Mental and physical health differences between youth infected and uninfected by SARS-CoV-2: data from 2021 to 2023

Authors

• Linda Jones Herbert, Division of Psychology & Behavioral Health, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States.
• Audrey Thurm, Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Phenotyping Service, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States.
• Maureen Monaghan, Division of Psychology & Behavioral Health, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States.
• James E. Bost, Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States.
• Max T. Wolff, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States.
• Mallory C. Kader, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States.
• Karyl Barron, Division of Intramural Research, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States.
• Gina Montealegre Sanchez, Division of Clinical Research, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States.
• Roberta L. DeBiasi, Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-16-2026

Journal

Journal of pediatric psychology

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsag024

Keywords

COVID-19; adolescents; mental health; psychosocial functioning; school-age children

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on children's well-being. This study examines the mental and physical health of youth infected with SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to uninfected youth and infected youths' functioning across pandemic waves. METHODS: Baseline parent-proxy and self-report questionnaire data from SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected youth were collected as part of a multisite, prospective, longitudinal observational study to evaluate clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in youth. Measures included the Developmental Profile-4, PROMIS scales, and the CoRonavIruS health Impact Survey. RESULTS: Data on 684 infected and 147 uninfected youth (median age = 8.9 years) were analyzed. There was no difference between groups regarding developmental concerns. When controlling for age/gender, caregivers of infected youth reported worse youth global health, physical functioning, cognitive functioning, pain interference, fatigue, and sleep disturbance compared to caregivers of uninfected youth, ps < .05. Infected youth reported worse fatigue and sleep disturbance compared to uninfected youth, ps < .05. Anxiety, depressive symptoms, and peer relationships did not differ between groups. Infected youth categorized as "at risk" were more likely to be female, older, have a pre-existing condition, were infected during the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 wave, or were infected more than 90 days prior to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline data from a large cohort study indicate that the physical functioning of youth infected with SARS-CoV-2 was worse than that of uninfected youth, but mental health concerns were comparable. Data may reflect the direct impact of SARS-CoV-2 on physical health and the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all youths' mental health. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04830852.

APA Citation

Herbert, Linda Jones; Thurm, Audrey; Monaghan, Maureen; Bost, James E.; Wolff, Max T.; Kader, Mallory C.; Barron, Karyl; Montealegre Sanchez, Gina; and DeBiasi, Roberta L., "Mental and physical health differences between youth infected and uninfected by SARS-CoV-2: data from 2021 to 2023" (2026). GW Authored Works. Paper 9050.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/9050

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences