Coronavirus Pandemic and its effect on children

            

Photo Credit : Curly Tales

            Since the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was announced, we had an unprecedented change in the way we organize ourselves socially and in our daily routine. Children and adolescents were also greatly impacted by the abrupt withdrawal from school, social life and outdoor activities. Some of them also experienced domestic violence growing. The stress they are subjected to directly impacts their mental health on account of increased anxiety, changes in their diets and in school dynamics. Children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being among its biggest victims, as children’s lives are nonetheless being changed in profound ways. All children, of all ages, and in all countries, are being affected, in particular by the socio-economic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. Moreover, the harmful effects of this pandemic will not be distributed equally. They are expected to be most damaging for children in the poorest countries, and in the poorest neighbourhoods, and for those in already disadvantaged or vulnerable situations.

Photo Credit : Financial Times

               Children are likely to be experiencing worry, anxiety and fear, and this can include the types of fears that are very similar to those experienced by adults, such as a fear of dying, a fear of their relatives dying, or a fear of what it means to receive medical treatment. If schools have closed as part of necessary measures, then children may no longer have that sense of structure and stimulation that is provided by that environment, and now they have less opportunity to be with their friends and get that social support that is essential for good mental well-being. Being at home can place some children at increased risk of, or increased exposure to, child protection incidents or make them witness to interpersonal violence if their home is not a safe place. This is something that is very concerning.

           The school closures are one of the most visible and controversial means by which Covid-19 is affecting young people. According to UNESCO, the education of nearly 1.6 billion pupils in 190 countries has so far been affected, that’s 90% of the world’s school-age children. And at the time of writing, there are still no definite plans for opening the schools of around half of these children. There has been much debate over the exact role that school closures have played containing the overall spread of the virus. But according to Richard Armitage, in the division of public health and epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, those legitimate scientific questions about the effectiveness of school closures should not be taken as a justification for re-opening them prematurely. “An absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence,” he says.

Photo Credit : Odissa Post

          In March 2020, back when the pandemic was still in its infancy, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the World Bank Group published their joint malnutrition estimates, which looked at stunting, wasting and obesity. In 2019, 47 million children under five were suffering from wasting and 14.3 million were severely wasted. Lack of nutrients and disease can cause wasting, which lowers children’s immunity, leads to long-term developmental delays, and is life-threatening in its most severe form. It is increasingly clear that the repercussions of the pandemic are causing more harm to children than the disease itself.

             Although all children are perceptive to change, young children may find the changes that have taken place difficult to understand, and both young and older children may express irritability and anger. Children may find that they want to be closer to their parents, make more demands on them, and, in turn, some parents or caregivers may be under undue pressure themselves. Simple strategies that can address this can include giving young people the love and attention that they need to resolve their fears, and being honest with children, explaining what is happening in a way that they can understand, even if they are young. Children are very perceptive and will model how to respond from their careers. Parents also need to be supported in managing their own stressors so that they can be models for their children. Helping children to find ways to express themselves through creative activities, and providing structure in the day if that is possible through establishing routines, particularly if they are not going to school anymore, can be beneficial.

                                                               Photo Credit : The Conversation

       Mental health and psychosocial support services should be in place, and child protection services need to adapt to ensure that the care is still available for the children of families who need it.