COVID-19: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children during Epidemics (Co-SPACE), 2020-2021

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to families' lives in many ways, including through lockdowns, social distancing, home learning requirements, and restrictions. This resulted in a rapidly changing situation where different pressures have arisen for children, young people and their families over time. <span class="x_x_x_x_x_normaltextrun">Understanding the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people, through the collection of high quality data and in a way that could directly inform policy, was set out as an immediate research priority in a Lancet position paper (<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30168-1/fulltext" target="_blank">Holmes et al., 2020</a>)</span><span class="x_x_x_x_x_normaltextrun"> at the start of the pandemic.  </span>The <span style="font-style: italic;">Co-SPACE</span> study was launched on 30th March 2020, a week after the first national lockdown was implemented in the UK, with the purpose of using the findings to inform resources and support for families.<br><br>The Co-SPACE project aimed to:</p><ul><li>track participating children and young people’s mental health throughout the COVID-19 crisis </li><li>identify what protects children and young people from deteriorating mental health (over time, and at particular stress points)</li><li>determine how this varies according to child, family and environmental characteristics.<br></li></ul><p><br>The <span style="font-style: italic;">Co-SPACE</span> study, overall, involved an online longitudinal survey completed monthly by (i) UK-based parents/carers of children and young people (aged 4-16 years, at the start of the study), and (ii) their children (if aged 11-16 years, at the start of the study). To develop a richer understanding of people’s experiences, qualitative interviews were also conducted with parents/carers, young people, and people who work with them. The current data available includes parent/carer reported survey data only.<br><br>The study was designed and conducted with rapid and meaningful stakeholder involvement, including through in-depth discussion with advisory groups of experts, young people, and parents/carers.  Parent/carer and young people's involvement was facilitated through the <a href="https://emergingminds.org.uk/" target="_blank">UKRI Emerging Minds Research Network Plus</a>.<br><br>In addition to the Principal Investigators, contributors to the study were as follows: Praveetha Patalay, UCL; Helen Dodd, University of Exeter; Pete Lawrence, University of Southampton; Simona Skripkauskaite, University of Oxford; Samantha Pearcey, University of Oxford; Adrienne Shum, University of Oxford; Amy McCall, University of Oxford; Olly Robertson, University of Oxford; Bettina Moltrecht, UCL; Eoin McElroy, Ulster University.<br><br>Further information, including research reports, are available from the <a href="https://cospaceoxford.org/" target="_blank">Co-SPACE</a> project website.</p>