Table 1 Characteristics of included studies
Authors. (country) | Study design | Timing | Sample size | Age | Disability | Mental health outcomes | Statistical methods | Main results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adams et al., 2021 [39] (United States) | Longitudinal, online survey | Time 1: March 2020 Time 2: May 2020 | n = 275 | 18–35 years | Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) | 1) Depression, anxiety, general stress measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), measured at time 1 & 2. Changes in mental health symptoms for three subscales, assessed using 42 statements describing emotional symptoms, on a scale of 0 to 42 2) COVID-related distress, measured at time 2 using a single question: “To what extent has your emotional or mental health been negatively impacted by COVID-19?” | ANCOVA | 1) Weak evidence of a difference in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and general distress between time 1 (pre-pandemic) and time 2 (during pandemic) 2) 58.1% reported COVID-19 had negatively impacted their emotional/mental health |
Rosencrans et al., 2021 [40] (United States and Chile) | Cross-sectional, online and phone survey | Time 1: July 2020 (US) Time 2: October 2020 (Chile) | n = 208 (US) n = 49 (Chile) | 18–30 years | Intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) | Change in mental health problems or symptoms, including a list of common mental health symptoms (being worried, stressed, scared, nervous, sad, angry, annoyed easily, impatient, tired, over-excited, jumpy, having problems sleeping, and other) measured at a single time point: “Are you having more mental health problems or symptoms?” | N/A | United States: 41% reported increased mental health problems. The mental health problems with the largest increases were worry (28.0%) and stress (27.2%) Chile: 56% reported increased mental health problems. The mental health problems with the largest increases were sadness (31.3%) and stress (28.1%) |