We are no longer recruiting for this study. Thank you to everyone who reached out and helped us reach our recruitment goals!
We recruited children and youth aged 0–18 and their families to participate in this research project. Parents and children (if 10 years of age or older) could participate as a pair or separately.
We asked families to complete online questionnaires about your thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted their family.
The study aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 emergency measures on child and family mental health, well-being and functioning. This includes understanding how children and their parents were feeling as a result of the COVID-19 emergency measures, in addition to the impact on their relationships (i.e. with friends and extended family members) and daily activities (ex. physical activity, eating habits, screen time, and sleep).
This study was conducted in collaboration with the SickKids Child and Youth Psychiatry Outpatient Program, the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental (POND) Network, The Applied Research Group for Kids (TARGet Kids!), and Spit for Science.
Together, we are learning about the mental health impact of COVID-19 among families.
Your research participation told us that school, screen time, family, & socialization were important for youth mental health:
You have told us that the pandemic had big and lasting impacts on the mental health of you and your family.
With your voice, we can continue to learn how to best support children’s mental health.

COVID-19 & Mental Health in the news!
Podcasts
- Are Kids The Biggest Victims of the Pandemic? – SickKids VS Podcast
Articles
- Researchers to examine impact of public health emergency measures on kids’ mental health – Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
- Four leading child mental health research teams join forces to understand impact of COVID-19 pandemic – SickKids
Videos
- Kids’ Mental Health & COVID-19 – Ontario Science Centre
- Coronavirus: Studying the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on kids and families – Global News
- Pandemic, online learning taking a toll on children’s mental health – CBC News
- Gen C: How COVID-19 has affected a whole generation of kids – CBC Kids News
COVID-19 & Mental Health publications
- Cost, K.T., Mudiyanselage, P., Unternaehrer, E., Korczak, D.J., Crosbie, J., Anagnastou, E., Monga, S., Kelley, E., Schachar, R., Maguire, J., Arnold, P., Burton, C.L., Georgiades, S., Nicolson, R., Birken, C.S., Charach, A. (2023). The role of parenting practices in parent and child mental health over time. BJPsych Open. 9(5): e147.
- Park C, Tsujimoto KC, Cost KT, Anagnostou E, Birken CS, Charach A, Monga S, Kelley E, Nicolson R, Georgiadis S, Burton C, Crosbie J, Korczak DJ. (2023). The Distinction Between Social Connectedness and Support When Examining Depressive Symptoms Among Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Child Psychiatry and Human Development Nov 7 Online ahead of print.
- Vibert B, Segura P, … Crosbie J, … Takahashi N, Takahashi R, Tamon H, Tancredi R, Vitiello B, Zuddas A, Leventhal B, Merikangas K, Milham MP, Di Martino A. (2023). CRISIS AFAR: an international collaborative study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and service access in youth with autism and neurodevelopmental conditions. Molecular Autism. 14(1):7.
- Tsujimoto, K. C., Cost, K. T., Laforge-Mackenzie, K., Anagnostou, E., Birken, C. S., Charach, A., Monga, S., Kelley, E., Nicolson, R., Georgiadis, S., Lee, N., Osokin, K., Burton, C., Crosbie, J., & Korczak, D. (2023). Disruption to Education During COVID-19: School Nonacademic Factors Are Associated with Children’s Mental Health. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 44(2), e95.
- Tsujimoto, K. C., Cost, K. T., LaForge-MacKenzie, K., Anagnostou, E., Birken, C. S., Charach, A., Monga, S., Kelly, E., Nicolson, R., Georgiadis, S., Lee, N., Osokin, K., Arnold, P., Schachar, R., Burton, C., Crosbie, J., & Korczak, D. J. (2022). School and learning contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for child and youth mental health. Current Psychology. 42(34): 1-17.
- LaForge-MacKenzie, K., Tombeau Cost, K., Tsujimoto, K.C., Crosbie, J., Charach, A., Anagnostou, E., Birken, C.S., Monga, S., Burton, C.L., Nicholson, R., Georgiades, S., Kelley, E., Korczak, D.J. (2022). Participating in extracurricular activities and school sports during the COVID-19 pandemic: Associations with child and youth mental health. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. Aug 29;4:936041.
- Lin, J., Pol, S., Korczak, D., Coelho, S., Segovia, A., Science, M., Matava, C.T., Parekh, R.S., Crosbie, J., Caldeira-Kulbakas, M., Carroll, S., Greenwood, JL., Panzera, G., Imgrund, R., Back to School COVID 19 Study Group, Anthony, SJ. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Protocols on Teachers Instructing Children and Adolescents During an In-Person Simulation. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 31(2): 52-63.
- Coelho, S., Segovia, A., Anthony, S.J., Lin, J., Pol, S., Crosbie, J., Science, M., Matava, C.T., Parekh, R.S., Caldeira-Kulbakas, M., Carroll, S., Greenwood, J.L., Panzera, G., Imgrund, R., Osokin, K., Back to School COVID-19 Study Group, Korczak, DJ., (2022). Return to School and Mask-Wearing in Class During COVID-19: Student Perspectives from a School Simulation Study. Paediatr Child Health. May 5;27(Suppl 1):S15-S21.
- Korczak D.J, Cost K.T, LaForge-MacKenzie K., Anagnostou E., Birken C.S., Charach A., Monga S., Crosbie J. (2022). The Ontario COVID-19 & Kids Mental Health Study: A study protocol for the longitudinal prospective evaluation of the impact of emergency measures on child and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Medical Journal Open, 12(3):e057248.
- Rizeq, J., Korczak, D.J., Tombeau Cost, K., Anagnostou, E., Charach, A., Monga, S., Birken, C., Kelley, E., Nicolson, R., Burton, C., Crosbie, J. (2021). Vulnerability pathways to mental health outcomes in children and parents during COVID-19. Current Psychology, Nov 19;1-11.
- Li, X., Vanderloo, L.M., Keown-Stoneman, C.D.G., Tombeau Cost, K., Charach, A., Maguire, J.L., Monga, S., Crosbie, J., Burton, C.L., Anagnostou, E., Georgiades, S., Nicolson, R., Kelley, E., Ayub, M., Korczak, D.J., Birken, C.S. (2021). Screen use and mental health symptoms in Canadian children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, Dec 1;4(12):e2140875.
- Cost, K., Crosbie J., … Burton, CL, Schachar, RJ, Arnold PD, Korczak, D. (2021). Mostly worse, occasionally better: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Canadian children and adolescents. European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Feb 26: 1-14.
COVID-19 Mental Health Collaboration

Research
Four leading child mental health research teams join forces to understand impact of COVID-19.

Goal
Determine impact of COVID-19 emergency measures on child and family mental health, well-being, & functioning.

Impact
The results from this study will direct mental health services and inform public health.