Changes in child and adolescent mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic (2018–2023): Insights from general population and clinical samples in the Netherlands

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected child and adolescent mental health and at the end of the pandemic (April 2022) child mental health had not returned to pre-pandemic levels. We investigated whether this observed increase in mental health problems has continued, halted, or reversed after the end of the pandemic in children from the general population and in children in psychiatric care. Methods We collected parent-reported and child-reported data at two additional post-pandemic time points (November/December 2022 and March/April 2023) in children (8?18 years) from two general population samples (N = 818?1056 per measurement) and one clinical sample receiving psychiatric care (N = 320?370) and compared these with data from before the pandemic. We collected parent-reported data on internalizing and externalizing problems with the Brief Problem Monitor and self-reported data on Anxiety, Depressive symptoms, Sleep-related impairments, Anger, Global health, and Peer relations with the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS?). Results In the general population, parents reported no changes in externalizing problems but did report higher internalizing problems post-pandemic than pre-pandemic (p