COVID-19’s Impact On The Use Of Media, Educational Performance, And Learning In Children And Adolescents With ADHD Who Engaged In Virtual Learning.

Authors' Affiliations

Dr. Christina Largent, Psychiatry Resident, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Dr. Tazley Hobbs, Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN; Mental Health Program, James H Quillen VA Medical Center, Johnson City, TN

Location

Culp Ballroom

Start Date

4-7-2022 9:00 AM

End Date

4-7-2022 12:00 PM

Poster Number

40

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Tazley Hobbs

Classification of First Author

Medical Resident or Clinical Fellow

Competition Type

Non-Competitive

Type

Literature Review

Project's Category

Attention Deficit Disorder

Abstract or Artist's Statement

A literature review was performed to examine the existing research on COVID-19 lockdown as it relates to ADHD child/adolescent individuals, media use, and impact on their educational performance and learning. It was surmised that with the COVID-19 epidemic prompting a transition to remote learning, a less structured and isolated learning environment, combined with increased screen time, would impair ADHD individuals’ performance and learning. A literature search for articles published between 2020 and 2021 from Pubmed, Google Scholar, PsychInfo, was performed. Search phrases and keywords included “covid, ADHD, child, impact, remote learning, media, screen”. Studies primarily utilized parental reports, with very few from the perspective of the ADHD individuals’ themselves. It was found that with the COVID-19 quarantine and transition to online learning, ADHD individuals’ experienced decreased ability to keep focused or adhere to daily routine, as well as increased inattention-related problems, such as careless mistakes or lack of completion in homework, which in turn translated into overall subjective reports of “more difficulty with remote learning.” Increased screen time, television, social media and gaming were noted amongst ADHD individuals. The suggested impact of increased screen time and media use was that ADHD children with problematic digital media use suffer from more severe core symptoms of ADHD, negative emotions, executive function deficits, damage on family environment, pressure from life events, and a lower motivation to learn. With these findings, it would be expected that the number of new ADHD cases, prescriptions for and usage of stimulants for treatment would rise amidst the COVID epidemic. However, data has not been studied or well documented thus far. Further research could extend to studying the impact of remote learning on neurotypical children and the risk for misdiagnosis of ADHD in children and adolescents or over-prescribing medications to youths with and without ADHD.

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Apr 7th, 9:00 AM Apr 7th, 12:00 PM

COVID-19’s Impact On The Use Of Media, Educational Performance, And Learning In Children And Adolescents With ADHD Who Engaged In Virtual Learning.

Culp Ballroom

A literature review was performed to examine the existing research on COVID-19 lockdown as it relates to ADHD child/adolescent individuals, media use, and impact on their educational performance and learning. It was surmised that with the COVID-19 epidemic prompting a transition to remote learning, a less structured and isolated learning environment, combined with increased screen time, would impair ADHD individuals’ performance and learning. A literature search for articles published between 2020 and 2021 from Pubmed, Google Scholar, PsychInfo, was performed. Search phrases and keywords included “covid, ADHD, child, impact, remote learning, media, screen”. Studies primarily utilized parental reports, with very few from the perspective of the ADHD individuals’ themselves. It was found that with the COVID-19 quarantine and transition to online learning, ADHD individuals’ experienced decreased ability to keep focused or adhere to daily routine, as well as increased inattention-related problems, such as careless mistakes or lack of completion in homework, which in turn translated into overall subjective reports of “more difficulty with remote learning.” Increased screen time, television, social media and gaming were noted amongst ADHD individuals. The suggested impact of increased screen time and media use was that ADHD children with problematic digital media use suffer from more severe core symptoms of ADHD, negative emotions, executive function deficits, damage on family environment, pressure from life events, and a lower motivation to learn. With these findings, it would be expected that the number of new ADHD cases, prescriptions for and usage of stimulants for treatment would rise amidst the COVID epidemic. However, data has not been studied or well documented thus far. Further research could extend to studying the impact of remote learning on neurotypical children and the risk for misdiagnosis of ADHD in children and adolescents or over-prescribing medications to youths with and without ADHD.