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How Does The Pandemic Have A Psychological Impact On Children?

Last Sunday, July 18th, 2021, Venezuela celebrated Children's Day.

By HowToFind .comPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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How Does The Pandemic Have A Psychological Impact On Children?
Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

An occasion that for the second consecutive year is altered by the development of the Coronavirus pandemic.

More than celebrations, which for sure there will be in some parks, public and family spaces, the moment is propitious to reflect on how this context of restrictions affects the psychology of children in the country.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) pointed out in an article published in March of this year, that after more than a year of pandemic, children around the world are facing a new normality that they think is devastating.

In the same article UNICEF indicated that "in the last year there has been an increase in the number of children who are hungry, isolated, abused or suffering from anxiety". And they finish by warning that "the pandemic is also affecting children's mental health".

A specialist in clinical psychology and child psychotherapy, affirmed for Radio Fe y Alegría Noticias that Venezuelan children have been greatly affected by the pandemic, especially emotionally and behaviorally. "Now it is very common to see children with anxiety disorders, emotional disorders such as depression, and also many behavioral disorders," she explained.

She also pointed out that there have been many situations that have been awakened by the pandemic, especially those related to family bonds, considering that they have been "put to the test", because before, children used to go out and carry out other activities, and now being at home for so long has affected not only them but also their parents.

She explained that the children absorb the situations experienced by the parents, and since the adults are very emotionally demanding due to the economic situation, the quarantine and their own fear of dying from the virus, this has meant that intra-family violence has increased.

Adults express many things with children, good and not so good things. Good things in the affective area, but in the bad ones, parents are taking their worries out on the children, mistreating them.

There are also more fights between adults or among the children themselves, emphasized the psychologist.

No face-to-face classes, and no social interactions?

By Ben White on Unsplash

As far as face-to-face classes are concerned, the specialist in clinical child psychology pointed out that this is affecting children's academic learning more than anything else.

Children are being taught differently from what they are used to since they do not have, for example, the affective figure of the teacher.

But she clarified that it is not necessarily affecting them in a totally negative way, since the children have a better capacity to adapt.

As for their social interactions, she explained that it has been very positive that little by little the quarantine has been becoming more flexible.

This has allowed the children to be incorporated into social environments, such as family environments, parks, extracurricular activities, and even some face-to-face classes. If the quarantine had been extended similar to that of the first months, we would have seen many other consequences.

She said she was confident in the children's ability to adapt and be flexible to social situations.

What would be the recommendations?

The child psychologist and psychotherapist pointed out that the recommendations would be especially for the parents, since "what children suffer, enjoy and live are fundamentally based on the family situations they experience".

From this she gives the following recommendations:

  1. That parents handle by themselves the situation they are living in a healthy way by expressing their emotions.
  2. If there is a problem, do not express it directly to the children.
  3. If there are couple problems, try to solve them in a private way, and that the child is not involved.
  4. Try not to fill the children with news. They know about the existence of the virus, but inform them in a healthy way, and do not create fears.
  5. Encourage children to get involved in social relationships close to home, with due care.
  6. Play with children at least one hour a day.
  7. Listen and take an interest in their things. This will strengthen the bond and make them feel secure.
  8. If parents feel that they cannot do homework with their children, it is necessary to find someone outside to help them. This will prevent study time from becoming a stressful time for the child.

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