The voices of children and young people during COVID-19: A critical review of methods

Aim: Critically review research methods used to elicit children and young people's views and experiences in the first year of COVID-19, using an ethical and child rights lens.Methods: A systematic search of peer- reviewed literature on children and young peo-ple's perspectives and experiences of COVID-19. LEGEND (Let Evidence Guide Every New Decision) tools were applied to assess the quality of included studies. The critical review methodology addressed four ethical parameters: (1) Duty of care; (2) Children and young people's consent; (3) Communication of findings; and (4) Reflexivity.Results: Two phases of searches identified 8131 studies; 27 studies were included for final analysis, representing 43,877 children and young people's views. Most studies were from high-income countries. Three major themes emerged: (a) Whose voices are heard; (b) How are children and young people heard; and (c) How do research-ers engage in reflexivity and ethical practice? Online surveys of children and young people from middle-class backgrounds dominated the research during COVID-19. Three studies actively involved children and young people in the research process; two documented a rights- based framework. There was limited attention paid to some ethical issues, particularly the lack of inclusion of children and young people in re-search processes.Conclusion: There are equity gaps in accessing the experiences of children and young people from disadvantaged settings. Most children and young people were not in-volved in shaping research methods by soliciting their voicesThe Icelandic Research Fund, grant no. 217579-051Pre-print (óritrýnt handrit

Identifying vulnerable children’s stress levels and coping measures during COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a mixed method study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable children and youth. In Japan, despite evidence that the paediatric age group holds a lower risk of infection than the older population, there was a nationwide closure of schools as an early public health measure. Acknowledging that school closures brought heightened psychological and physical stress among Japanese children, we aimed to explore vulnerable children’s experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, focusing on socially disadvantaged subset of the population. Methods: We used an adapted version of the ‘Perceived Stress Scale for Children’, with additional free-text space, delivered online to children attending three non-profit organisations which provide support for this group of vulnerable persons and families experiencing social disadvantage. Simple descriptive analysis was undertaken on the quantitative data; we used thematic and content analysis for the qualitative data. Results: Thirty-six children participated in the online survey, mean age was 11.3 years, majority (61%) were male. The mean overall stress score (score distribution width: 0–39) was 14.8, with no difference in score distribution by age or gender. Free-text responses obtained revealed a range of stressors and protective factors. Schooling, COVID-19 fears, family tension and pandemic measures were sources of stress; family—in particular, the support of the mother—food, friendship and recreation were sources of comfort. While most responses indicated positive coping mechanisms, some displayed maladaptive behaviours. Conclusions: The children in this cohort had high mean stress scores overall. Responses indicated that they were acutely reactive to COVID-19 as well as pandemic public health measures, and that missing schooling and contact with friends exacerbated their stress. Family was a source of strength as well as stress. A tailored public health response to COVID-19 needs to take into account the concerns voiced by vulnerable child populations be based on equity and child rights