- Although COVID-19 affects adults more physically than children, mental health problems have increased in all age groups.
- Children between the ages of 5 and 17 sought help for psychological problems much more often in 2020.
- However, a new study found that children with pre-existing mental health problems experienced reduced symptoms when lockdowns started.
While the physical effects of COVID-19 have dominated headlines for the past 13 months, mental health effects are viewed as a simultaneous pandemic that could last longer than the virus. Children have generally been resilient to the novel coronavirus (although at least one variant is more likely to hit that target audience). However, in terms of depression and anxiety, children are on par with adults.
Emergency hospital visits for mental health problems in the 12 to 17-year-old demographic are up 31 percent since the start of the pandemic. Younger children do only slightly better: an increase of 24 percent for children aged 5 to 11 years. In Germany, one in three children has experienced anxiety or depression in the past year. In addition, children have difficulty learning in remote educational environments.
However, at least one audience fared better than usual, at least during the early phase of lockdowns. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, high school children from a predominantly Latinx community with above-normal levels of mental distress experienced a reduction in symptoms.
Children with previous mental health problems saw decreased internalization (behaviors including being withdrawn, nervous, lonely, unwanted, or sad), externalizing (behaviors such as lying, acting irresponsibly, breaking the law, or showing lack of remorse), and other problems.
Those without mental health problems also benefited, at least in terms of internalizing and general behavior; there was no change in attention problems or externalizing.
The researchers began tracking 322 children (average age 12) in January 2020, before the pandemic hit America. They were studied through May 2020. While this represents only a sliver of time in lockdown, senior author Carla Sharp, a psychology professor at the University of Houston, says the results have important clinical implications.
First, promoting family functioning during COVID-19 may have helped protect or improve the mental health of young people during the pandemic. Furthermore, it is important to consider cultural factors such as familism and collectivism in Latinx communities. showing the early effects of disasters on mental health to COVID-19 stress. ”
Seven-year-old Hamza Haqqani, a 2nd student at Al-Huda Academy, uses a computer to participate in an E-learning class with his teacher and classmates while at home on May 1, 2020 in Bartlett, Illinois.Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images
Many have disapproved of what we have lost in the past year. The problems are indeed many and complex. Yet we have also seen a reduction in environmental damage (including noise pollution) and greater savings. We are also more aware of how factory farming is helping the spread of viruses. And despite the obvious challenges of making a living with so many businesses and industries that have closed down, this time around, someone has offered the chance to reconnect with their family.
Study co-author Jessica Hernandez Ortiz says this research could inspire new avenues to address mental health issues in children.
“ Our findings underscore the importance of Latinx’s family environment and collectivist values of community connection for promoting children’s resilience and strongly portray the possibility that school settings may exacerbate mental health problems. Removal from that context in a less pressured environment has an immediate and positive effect on mental health. ”
Since the research ended shortly after the pandemic, the novelty of family togetherness could have diminished as families came under economic strains and realized that spending all their time together was harder than initially thought. That said, humans are social animals that need regular contact with family and peers. The latter group may not have been available, but for some children, their families filled in the gaps, especially those who were not doing well in a traditional school setting.
Stay in touch with Derek Twitter and Facebook. His most recent book is Hero’s Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy. “
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