Social-emotional and Behavioural Problems of Healthcare Workers' Young Children During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus Outbreak: a Case-control Study

Healthcare worker mothers had to leave their children with their relatives out the fear of contagion and isolated themselves. The investigators aimed to explore the sleep, socioemotional and behavioural problems of children of healthcare workers; assess the psychological distress of mothers and their social support during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus pandemic, and compare them with age-matched children and their mothers from other occupations.

A case-control study design was applied, and a snowball approach was used to enrol volunteered participants aged between 6 to 36 months of age, through a Google survey. The investigators used Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire and the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment questionnaire to assess children's sleep and socioemotional and behavioural problems respectively. A Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and a Brief Symptom Inventory were used to evaluate the social support and psychological distress of mothers.