Exploring the correlation between separation anxiety and COVID-19 related worries in children and adolescents with cancer and T1D

Covid-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the SARS-Co-2 virus. It was first discovered in China in November 2019, but it soon spread all over the world, causing the WHO to declare it a pandemic. From the 9th of March 2020 to the 18th of May 2020, the Italian government established a national lockdown to stop the virus from spreading. This research was born to explore the psychological impact of COVID-19 on chronically ill children and their mothers. This study takes into consideration children between the ages of 7 and 15 years suffering from various types of cancer and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1D). The control group comprised healthy children of the same age and gender and their mothers. 33 patients with cancer, 56 patients with T1D and their mothers compiled a survey about covid and a booklet of questionnaires, assessing general mental health and anxiety. We used a normality test, an analysis of variance and a Pearson’s correlation coefficient to explore the data. The results show a correlation between SAAS-C scores and the survey variables. The children’s psychological well-being didn’t seem to correlate with the general mental health of their mothers. This study’s objective was to fill the gap in the literature regarding the correlation between the pandemic and the psychological well-being of chronically ill children.