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Struggling to breathe: a qualitative study of children's wellbeing during lockdown in Spain
Abstract
Objective
COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, including Europe. In order to halt the spread of the pandemic by maintaining social distancing, all children in Spain have been completely confined to their homes, and from March 13th to April 26th they were forbidden from going outdoors at any time. The aim of this research was gather the voices of children in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain in order to examine how they are coping with this health crisis. Design: A sample of 250 Children from a region of Spain aged 3-12 years (mean 7.14) were openly asked about their lockdown activities, needs, and feelings. Main Outcome Measures: Responses were analyzed using Iramuteq software for lexical analysis. Results: Children reported having mixed emotions in lockdown; whilst they are happy and relaxed with their families, they also feel fear, nervousness, worry, loneliness, sadness, boredom, and anger. At a physical level, Children noted it was difficult to be deprived of fresh air for weeks, which also makes them primarily sedentary, and they missed outdoor exercise. Socially, they missed peers and caregivers. Conclusion: This study provides evidence about the need to safeguard children’s wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis.
... At the international level, extensive research has reported difficulties, challenges and effects that students with SEN have experienced as a result from the COVID-19 school-related closures and distance learning. Overall empirical evidence indicates that students with SEN were confronted with more psychological challenges during the COVID-19 school-related closures, presented more social and emotional problems (Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021), had fewer resources to cope with distance learning (Scheer & Laubenstein, 2021), as well as perceived less self-efficacy (Maelan et al., 2021). Nonetheless, when compared to the considerable international output on students with SEN, it is noticeable that there is a lack of research conducted in Mexico (Cedillo et al., 2021). ...
... Empirical evidence in Mexico has shown that secondary school students reported a high level of stress, anxiety, irritability, lack of concentration as well as sleeping problems (Cedillo et al., 2021;Rodríguez-Leonardo & Peña Peralta, 2020), with students of SEN facing greater | 5 COPING WITH DISTANCE LEARNING DURING COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDENTS' EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS impact on their emotional state (Cedillo et al., 2021;Espada et al., 2020). In light of the aforementioned outcomes of previous studies, it can be concluded that the pandemic produced psychological and mental health issues for students, but these were more severe for students with SEN (Chen et al., 2020;Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021;Xie et al., 2020). ...
... It is without a doubt that the COVID-19 educational crisis and school-related closures had a negative impact on students' well-being, emotional experiences and motivational variables Pozas et al., 2020;Styck et al., 2021). Nonetheless, researchers agree that such effect has been far much more severe for vulnerable students such as those with SEN (Chen et al., 2020;Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021;Xie et al., 2020). Based on the previous theoretical background and outcomes of research, it can therefore be assumed that how students with and without SEN coped with distance learning as well as their general self-efficacy might have an influence in their emotional state. ...
Given the almost 2‐year COVID‐19 school‐related closure in Mexico, children and adolescents have experienced a negative impact not only on their learning, but as well as on their mental health and well‐being. Although international research has shown that distant learning as a response to the COVID‐19 school‐related closures has severely affected students with special education needs, there is still a lack of studies conducted in Mexico. Thus, this study attempts to tackle this gap by exploring how Mexican students with and without special education needs coped with distance learning as well as its impact on their emotional experiences. A total of 293 Mexican lower secondary students participated in the study. Independent sample t ‐tests indicated that, in comparison with students without special needs, students with special needs coped significantly worse during distance learning as well as had higher levels of negative activation. Additionally, multiple linear regression analyses revealed that students' self‐efficacy functioned as an important coping mechanism. Implications of the results, as well as further lines of research are discussed.
... Separation from loved ones as a response to sanitary measures can be significantly detrimental to children; it is associated with greater anxiety, fear, worry, and nervousness (Garcia De Avila et al., 2020;INESSS, 2020a;Koller et al., 2006;Saurabh and Ranjan, 2020;Singh et al., 2020). For younger children, reported repercussions include clinginess, feeling overwhelmed, and experiencing speech difficulties (INESSS, 2020b;Imran et al., 2020;Singh et al., 2020;Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2020). Two systematic reviews support that adolescents are at-risk of having increased anxiety symptoms because of the COVID-19 pandemic (Guessoum et al., 2020;O'Reilly et al., 2020), with other studies also associating this pandemic context with stress and intrusive thoughts (Guessoum et al., 2020;Hou et al., 2020;O'Reilly et al., 2020;Zhou et al., 2020a). ...
... For instance, symptoms of depression were greater during than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for adolescents (Duan et al., 2020;Guessoum et al., 2020;Hawke et al., 2020;Hou et al., 2020;O'Reilly et al., 2020;Zhou et al., 2020b;Racine et al., 2020). Symptoms included sadness from being away from loved ones, feeling listless, and experiencing social and emotional withdrawal (Guessoum et al., 2020;Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2020;INESSS, 2020b;Imran et al., 2020;Koller et al., 2006;Orgilés et al., 2020;Saurabh and Ranjan, 2020). A study noted that COVID-19-related onset of depressive symptoms is mediated by the occurrence of negative emotional reactivity (Seçer and Ulaş, 2020). ...
... Across all age groups, behavior changes were identified during the COVID-19 pandemic, including externalizing behavior such as increased irritability, annoyance, restlessness, expressions of anger, and aggression (Saurabh and Ranjan, 2020;INESSS, 2020b;Orgilés et al., 2020). School-aged children tend to exhibit anger, inattention, agitation, or hyperactivity (Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2020;Singh et al., 2020;Romero et al., 2020) although some studies report that more than half of children do not show a significant change in behavior (Romero et al., 2020). For vulnerable adolescents, externalizing behaviors can take the form of increased risk-taking behaviors, notably taking drugs, drinking alcohol, or having at-risk sexual relationships (Guessoum et al., 2020;INESSS, 2020b). ...
Children and adolescents are a population at particular risk of experiencing adverse mental health repercussions related to pandemics. To understand vulnerability factors and repercussions of pandemics and related sanitary measures on children and adolescents’ mental health, we performed a scoping review to examine and synthesize literature. In total, 66 articles were included. Results present: (1) factors that increase vulnerability to adverse mental health repercussions (e.g., having a pre-existing mental health condition, social isolation, low socio-economic status, parental distress, and overexposure to media content) and (2) specific mental health repercussions (e.g., anxiety, fear, depression, and externalizing behaviors). Addressing concerns underlined in this review could contribute to preventing further negative mental health repercussions of pandemics for children and adolescents and better prepare governments and professionals to address these highly challenging situations. Recommendations for practice include enhancing healthcare professionals’ awareness about possible detrimental repercussions pandemics and sanitary measures have on children and adolescents’ mental health, assessing changes for those with pre-existing mental health conditions, allocating funding for telehealth research, and providing greater support to healthcare providers.
... With the arrival of the 2020-2021 school year, schools reopened with harsh conditions of social distancing and hygiene (Bertoni 2020;Idoiaga et al. 2020: Llamazares 2020. Among these measures were the use of masks in class, functioning in bubble groups, only being allowed to use their own classroom in school, the suppression of school sports and other extracurricular activities, etc. (Alonso et al. 2021;Asensio and Aguado 2021;Lo Moro et al. 2020). ...
... All children, however, regardless of age group, showed severe psychological conditions of increased irritability and inattention (Viner et al. 2020). In addition, one psychological reaction that was observed when the full lockdown ended was that many children were afraid to go out onto the street again (Becerra et al. 2020;Idoiaga et al. 2020). Finally, many children have also expressed fears related to the virus such as fear of going out onto the street or fear of becoming infected (Longo 2020). ...
... The impact of the pandemic has created significant socio-emotional and financial stress for many families across the country, which may make it difficult for children in these households to focus adequately on academic tasks (Idoiaga et al. 2022;Phelps and Sperry 2020). In addition, school closures can also induce social isolation and feelings of loneliness (Lee 2020;Idoiaga et al. 2020). At the social level, routines, social interactions, and friendships are some of the most important factors in children's psychological development. ...
From 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world as we knew it. In the interest of stopping the spread of the pandemic, lockdown periods and social distancing measures were established in many countries at the beginning of that year and these restrictions continued for the following months and years. Moreover, schools from all over the world closed their doors. In this context, the objective of this research was to compare the well-being of children in Spain during full lockdown and partial lockdown periods, as measured by physical, emotional, social, and academic indicators. The ‘Well-being of Children in Lockdown' (WCL) scale (Berasategi et al. 2020 Berasategi, N., N. Idoiaga, M. Dosil, and A. Eiguren. 2020. “Design and Validation of a Scale for Measuring Well-Being of Children in Lockdown (WCL).” Frontiers in Psychology 11: 2225.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) was used to measure the well-being of children using these parameters. The results revealed statistically significant differences in the general well-being of children and also in terms of emotions, addictions and playful and creative activities, with greater levels of well-being in these domains being evident in the full lockdown period compared with the partial lockdown period. In contrast, during the partial lockdown period, levels of physical and academic well-being were higher in comparison with those reported during the full lockdown phase. Finally, some theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
... The adverse impact on the emotional sphere became more severe as the duration of the confinement increased (Brooks et al., 2020). Emotions, such as fear and sadness, were not only linked to the lockdown, but also to the virus itself, as children were concerned about the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of the situation (Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021). The study conducted by Orgilés et al. (2020) pointed out a worsening in children's emotional state and behavior, especially difficulties in concentration, boredom, irritability, and loneliness (Orgilés et al., 2020). ...
... It may be worth noting that adding details to the representation of the house is usually considered an index of care and therefore of a positive emotional investment in what is represented (Quaglia and Saglione, 1990). A significant difference in comparing the three moments, is also the major representation of friends in "Future" drawings, in line with our expected results and findings from other contemporary studies (Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021;Pascal and Bertram, 2021): this result may indicate a desire and a hope to return to spend time with friends, thus showing a certain trust in the future which is an important resource. ...
... Including friends in a drawing of a past event, in the impossibility of spending time with them, at the time the drawings were collected, could be an emotional content too difficult to control for children that have difficulties in their emotional regulation. Indeed, other studies (Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021) highlight that children were sad, angry, upset and felt lonely because of the lack of friends. An unexpected result was the significant association between the exclusion of relatives in "Before" drawings and a higher level of difficulty in relationships with peers reported by parents. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to face it have placed children and their caregivers in front of many challenges that could represent sources of stress. This work aims to explore the point of view of children through drawing, as a spontaneous means of expression, relating it to parents’ perceptions of children’s difficulties, strengths, and mentalization skills. The sample consists of 18 children (mean age = 8.22, SD = 1.79). Parents were asked to complete: a socio-demographic questionnaire with information on the impact of COVID-19 on the family, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Everyday Mindreading Scale. Children were asked to draw three moments: “Before” the pandemic, “During” the lockdown, and “After,” when the COVID-19 will be passed. The drawings were coded by constructing a content and expressive analysis grid, adapting coding systems found in the literature. Data were collected at the beginning of the summer of 2020, just after the first lockdown period (from March to May 2020 in Italy). The results of the present work are in line with previous studies that reported experiences of wellbeing and tranquility of children in time spent at home with family during the pandemic. From the drawings emerges that children feel sufficiently able to master the situation, as reflected by including themselves in drawings and providing many details of the house in “During” drawings. The literature also reports a feeling of sadness/loneliness caused by the lack of friends, an element that we also find in the tendency to represent friends significantly more in the drawings concerning the future. Some contents of drawings (inclusion of friends, relatives, and parents) appeared associated with emotional, interpersonal, and mentalizing abilities of children, as perceived by parents. Exploring children’s representations of a stressful event like the pandemic through drawings allows to focus both on their difficulties and on their resources, with useful implications for the educational support.
... Considering that stressors, such as experiencing a pandemic in early childhood can increase vulnerability to future mental disorders (Albott, Forbes, & Anker, 2018;Arpawong et al., 2022), it is necessary to understand the pandemic's psychological consequences in order to intervene. School-age children and adolescents have shown increased depression and anxiety symptoms since the beginning of the pandemic (Cabana et al., 2021;Duan et al., 2020;Fong & Iarocci, 2020;Gorrotxategi Gorrotxategi et al., 2020;Loades et al., 2020;Magklara, Lazaratou, Barbouni, Poulas, & Farsalinos, 2020;Mondragon, Sancho, Santamaria, & Munitis, 2021;Morgül, Kallitsoglou, & Essau, 2020;Ravens-Sieberer et al., 2021;Russell, Hutchison, Tambling, Tomkunas, & Horton, 2020;Sarkadi, Sahlin Torp, Pérez-Aronsson, & Warner, 2021;Saurabh & Ranjan, 2020;Shorer & Leibovich, 2020;Srivastava, 2020;Tang, Xiang, Cheung, & Xiang, 2021). As a result of lockdown restrictions, children have also faced changes in their daily routines, such as increases in screen use, indoor time and sleep duration (Aguilar-Farias et al., 2021;Alonso-Martínez, Ramírez-Vélez, García-Alonso, Izquierdo, & García-Hermoso, 2021;Cellini, Di Giorgio, Mioni, & Di Riso, 2021;Delisle Nyström et al., 2020;Erades & Sabuco, 2020;MacKenzie et al., 2021;Magklara et al., 2020;Morgül et al., 2020;Yeasmin et al., 2020). ...
... Argentina is a Latin American country with a poverty rate of 37.3% (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [INDEC], 2022). Its pandemic lockdown has been one of the longest and strictest in the world, which has been associated with worse mental health outcomes (Brooks et al., 2020;Erades & Sabuco, 2020;Mondragon et al., 2021). Therefore, Argentina provides a unique scenario for studying vulnerable preschoolers' mental health. ...
... Children are among the most susceptible populations to be psychologically affected because of their limited understanding of the pandemic. This makes them more likely to be concerned, in addition to the uncertainty of the situation and the imposition of lockdowns (Cabana et al., 2021;Mondragon et al., 2021;Saurabh & Ranjan, 2020;Srivastava, 2020). However, early childhood mental health has not been much explored, as most studies focus on older children. ...
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, children have presented with increased psychiatric symptoms. Little research has been done regarding early childhood mental health, particularly those from vulnerable socioeconomic contexts who are exposed to adversity. We aimed to assess mental health and the impacts of the pandemic on this population. A survey and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire were administered to the caregivers of preschoolers who were enrolled in a food-assistance programme. The participants were 807 preschoolers from the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was
ranked among the cities with the longest lockdown. Around 39% of preschoolers were classified as having a ‘possible/probable’ psychiatric disorder. Externalizing problems were predominant. Most caregivers (82.78%) reported increased psychological symptoms during the lockdown, mostly externalizing problems. Caregivers’ burdens were associated with the severity, duration, and exacerbation of their child’s symptoms. Further research should continue to monitor preschoolers’ well-being, with the goal of preventing future problems.
... Lockyer et al. BMC Psychology (2022) 10:140 distancing has been explored in a number of studies [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. This research has helped us to record and understand children's reactions to the pandemic, including increased feelings of loneliness, low mood, social isolation and higher rates of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as exploring particular vulnerabilities and protective factors [4,6,12]. ...
... Previous studies have documented the impact of Covid-19 on children through large scale surveys [5,7,9,11,38,39]. some of which included open ended questions which children themselves responded to [8], In contrast, there have been few studies which have conducted interviews with children, and these have been with older adolescents [40] or joint interviews with children from a wide range of ages and their parents [6]. O'Sullivan et al. [6] found that Covid-19 public health measures had adverse implications on children and adolescents' mental health, particularly for children with existing developmental disorders. ...
... Their study however relied mainly on parental observations. Using Reinart method analysis, Idoiaga Mondragon et al. [8] were able to identify the main ideas held by children regarding the lockdown, revealing children's starkly negative emotional responses to the lockdown. They included open text responses written by children which were particularly resonant and enlightening. ...
Background
Whilst children and young people have not often been at forefront of the immediate Covid-19 pandemic health response there has been concern about the indirect consequences of Covid-19 on children’s physical and mental health and what the effect of the pandemic will be throughout their lifetimes. Early adolescence is a time of transition and reorientation. This study considers the impact of the first UK Covid-19 lockdown on early adolescents.
Methods
The study topic was identified through a consultation process which aimed to provide appropriate evidence to local decision makers in Bradford, UK and plan for future interventions. A group of children and their parents from the longitudinal Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study were randomly selected and then purposively sampled by ethnicity, age, sex and deprivation. The BiB cohort is made up of 13,776 children and their families and were recruited at Bradford Royal Infirmary between 2007 and 2011. 41 interviews (with 20 families: 20 parents and 21 children) were carried out between August and September 2020. Interview data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
The transitional age of the children interviewed had an important influence on their experience Covid-19 and the first UK lockdown. Their age combined with lockdown and school closures meant that they missed out on key learning and social opportunities at a crucial time in their lives. Covid-19 and lockdown also disrupted their daily mental wellbeing and led to increased anxiety, lethargy and low moods, during a period of personal change and social transition.
Conclusion
For children at the start of their adolescence undergoing change and formation, the experiences and feelings Covid-19 has set in motion will likely have an impact on their mental and cognitive functioning as they develop further. It is important to acknowledge these early adolescent experiences and continue to monitor and provide targeted support to this group of young people.
... In the case of COVID-19, research has found that lockdown is generating feelings of fear, worry, sadness, loneliness or stress (Idoiaga, et al., 2020(Idoiaga, et al., , 2021Jiloha, 2020;Pisano et al., 2020) but also resilience (Jiao et al., 2020;Leung et al., 2020) among children. ...
... In "real life" schools provide spaces for children's socialization every day (Wentzel and Looney, 2007), but now, with schools closed, the opportunities for play and interaction have been dramatically reduced. In addition, several investigations suggest that this lack of socialization due to lockdown is causing feelings of loneliness (Idoiaga et al., 2021;Singh and Singh 2020). ...
... With regard to physical activities, it should be highlighted that in the drawings analysed here, physical activities adapted to the home (dance, rope, jumping, zumba) emerged, although these represent only 14.17% of the total range of activities. These results are in line with other research which suggests that lockdown is having a physical impact on children, since they are presented with fewer opportunities to move their bodies (Idoiaga et al., 2021). In fact, both academics and health professionals have stressed the importance of physical activity for children during this lockdown (Grechyna, 2020;Lippi et al., 2020). ...
Spain is one of the European countries most affected of COVID-19, and also the one with the most stringent restrictions for children. This study aims to explore how COVID-19 lockdown affects children by analysing 151 drawings from children in lockdown. Findings were represented in four main categories: (1) Activities; (2) Emotions; (3) Socialization; and (4) Academic. The results indicate the need to manage the lockdown situation taking into account also children’s voices and by placing greater emphasis on social and inclusive policies to help alleviate the possible effects of the pandemic and the lockdown on them.
... An additional strategy was to provide children with a feeling of reassurance and family cohesion through parental closeness, communication, and the scheduling of shared activities (as reported in studies conducted Spanish, China and United States) [11,13,33,34]. Cohesion was established with frequent physical and emotional closeness with the child, such as devoting more time for cuddling [35] and through the sharing of activities that allowed for positive memories and strengthening of family bonds (i.e., walking, board games, movie nights and cooking) [13]. ...
... A theoretical thematic analysis was used to identify the dominant themes across the entire data set. The data analysis was conducted according to Braun and Clarke's Thematic Analysis framework [35,40]. We adopted a theoretical, deductive or "top down" way of performing the analysis. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many enduring changes in the everyday life of families, with negative effects on parents’ and children’s wellbeing. However, there is a lack of studies in the literature exploring the emotional reactions and coping strategies of both mothers and children of different ages. Furthermore, most studies used only self-reports. This study aimed to identify the emotions and coping strategies of children, adolescents and their mothers and to verify the association between maternal and child wellbeing. A mixed-method design using interviews and questionnaires was applied to collect information on wellbeing (emotional reactions, behavioral/emotional problems) and coping strategies of both mothers (n = 65; M age = 42.17; SD = 4.40; M age = 41.63; SD = 4.48), and their children (n = 35, 8–10 year; n = 30, 11–13 year) during the second wave of the pandemic (December 2020). No differences between the groups emerged concerning the emotional reactions reported. In contrast, mothers and children of different ages reported different self-regulation and other-regulation strategies. Moreover, maternal strategies had different effects on children’s wellbeing. The integration of qualitative and quantitative results was informative to understand how families adapted to the radical changes of everyday life related to the pandemic. The implications for developing interventions in such similar stressful situations to promote family wellbeing are discussed.
... It is unclear what the full significance of these consequences are. However, there is a growing body of evidence examining young people's health and wellbeing during the pandemic [17][18][19]. The aim of this study is to explore predictors of wellbeing for children and young people during COVID, providing recommendations that span from primary school to higher education. ...
... This was mirrored in school staff recommendations made in a previous study which noted that teachers observed pupils' weight gain, lethargy, anxiety, low mood and social disconnection [33] upon the return to school as they felt children were engaging in less physical activity. Wider research has suggested that lockdown restrictions saw children (aged [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] unable to leave their homes and concluded that not only did this have a considerable impact on wellbeing at a psychological level but also in social and physical terms with children reporting missing their peers and opportunities to be active outside [17]. A recent report highlighted that behavioural and emotional difficulties in children, as well as anxiety and stress in caregivers has increased throughout the pandemic with current findings surpassing that of the first lockdown [34]; perhaps as a result of the negative links between parental stress and child wellbeing [35]. ...
COVID-19 infection and the resultant restrictions has impacted all aspects of life across the world. This study explores factors that promote or support wellbeing for young people during the pandemic, how they differ by age, using a self-reported online survey with those aged 8–25 in Wales between September 2020 and February 2021. Open-ended responses were analysed via thematic analysis to provide further context. A total of 6,291 responses were obtained from 81 education settings across Wales (including primary and secondary schools as well as sixth form, colleges and universities). Wellbeing was highest in primary school children and boys and lowest in those who were at secondary school children, who were girls and, those who preferred not to give a gender. Among primary school children, higher wellbeing was seen for those who played with lots of others (rather than alone), were of Asian ethnicity (OR 2.17, 95% CI: 1.26 to 4.3), had a safe play area (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.67 to 2.56) and had more sleep. To support their wellbeing young people reported they would like to be able to play with their friends more. Among secondary school children those who were of mixed ethnicity reported lower wellbeing (OR: 5.14, 95% CI: 1.68 to 15.79). To support their wellbeing they reported they would like more support with mental health (due to anxiety and pressure to achieve when learning online). This study found self-reported wellbeing differed by gender, ethnicity and deprivation and found younger children report the need for play and to see friends to support wellbeing but older children/young people wanted more support with anxiety and educational pressures.
... Já no aspecto comportamental, foi possível observar maior presença de agitação, dificuldade de sair de casa devido ao medo de contaminação e comportamentos regressivos 6 .Por fim, na saúde mental ocorreu aumento de transtornos mentais como depressão, ansiedade e transtorno de estresse pós-traumático6 . Um estudo mostrou que crianças em quarentena tiveram uma pontuação média de estresse pós-traumático quatro vezes maior do que crianças que não vivenciaram uma experiência de isolamento social7,8 .Nos últimos anos houve um movimento crescente impulsionado pela Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre os Direitos da Criança 9 , que promove a importância de primeiramente ouvir a voz das crianças em assuntos que afetam suas vidas. Corroborando com essa concepção, a Organização Mundial da Saúde expressou a importância de as crianças terem a oportunidade de expressar seus medos e dúvidas a parir de sua própria linguagem, sendo amparadas pelos adultos que as rodeiam10,11,12 .Torna-se fundamental entender os impactos da pandemia de COVID-19 segundo o olhar das próprias crianças, de forma a subsidiar ações e políticas voltadas para essa faixa etária6,13 . ...
As crianças são um dos grupos mais vulneráveis aos impactos na saúde mental da pandemia de COVID-19 devido a fatores como o nível de desenvolvimento, a dificuldade de adesão ao ensino remoto e a grande vulnerabilidade socioeconômica da população. Objetivou-se investigar o impacto da pandemia de COVID-19 na saúde mental de crianças segundo a perspectiva das próprias por meio de um estudo qualitativo. Foram entrevistadas 7 crianças atendidas pelo ambulatório de psicologia de uma unidade de saúde pública do Rio de Janeiro, tendo sido apontadas três categorias: “Estou desenhando o coronavírus bravo e um homem feliz, mas que morreu porque estava sem máscara”: a angústia frente à morte, “Às vezes eu sentia raiva, às vezes tristeza e às vezes tudo junto e embolado”: alterações percebidas e sentimentos despertados pela pandemia e “Eu sentia um vazio por não poder falar com as pessoas e ficar muito sozinho em casa”: as relações sociais, o sentimento de solidão e as estratégias de enfrentamento. Os resultados evidenciam a presença da morte no cotidiano e sua relação com o significado da pandemia, a presença de sentimentos como raiva, medo, tristeza e vazio e a falta do ambiente escolar e das relações sociais, e as estratégias de enfrentamento, como a brincadeira, o apoio de familiares e o contato com os amigos. Conclui-se que o protagonismo das crianças foi fundamental para uma melhor compreensão dos impactos desta para as mesmas. Sendo assim, entende-se que o estudo possibilitou o acesso aos diversos impactos que a pandemia causou na saúde mental da população infantil, contribuindo para uma melhor compreensão e assistência a esse público.
... Existing ndings indicated that preschool children worried about getting sick and permanent change and became scared of the pandemic. [59,60] The worries and fear could lead to increased arousal, including irritability, sleep disturbance, and di culties regulating emotions. ...
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society is continuous, resulting in negative psychological consequences. Given the vulnerability and sensitivity to the environment among preschool children, their emotional and behavioral problems deserve more attention. The current study aimed to explore the impact of the epidemic on preschool children's mental health by determining the pooled prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems during the COVID-19 pandemic and to reveal potential reasons for variations between studies. Published studies were searched in Embase, PubMed, ProQuest, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang. The pooled prevalence was estimated with random-effect models, with the I² value estimating the heterogeneity. Egger’s test was used to estimate the publication bias. A total of 10 studies, including 38059 participants, met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children was 24.3% (95%CI, 0.15-0.38). The study demonstrated the negative impact of the epidemic on preschoolers' psychological health. Mental health care and recovery are essential for the vulnerable group during and after the public health crisis. Specific emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children are expected to research in the future to provide more targeted guidance for intervention.
... In addition, studies that examined the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on children's learning from parents' perspectives indicated that parents did not have motivation for (Garbe et al. 2020) and sufficient knowledge SN Soc Sci (2023) to support their children's learning (Gelir and Duzen 2022), online teaching could not support children's learning (Dong et al. 2020). A study conducted by Mondragon et al. (2020) demonstrated that the children had different feelings about lockdown during school closures in Spain. Mondragon et al.'s study reported that although the majority of them felt bored and lonely during the school closure, some children were happy to be at home. ...
This study examines the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on preschool children’s learning and development from teachers’ perspectives. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 29 preschool teachers when schools were reopened in Turkey. The analysis of the interviews shows that there are both positive and negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on children. The results indicate that children’s self-care skills develop during the lock down, and that children feel that they have responsibilities for adhering to the pandemic rules. However, the negative effects of the pandemic on children might be long-lasting and result in a regression children’s cognitive development. The study indicates that teachers adapt their teaching methods (e.g., from group-based to one-to-one teaching) to the pandemic rules. The study highlights the importance of socialisation for children’s learning and development.
... For the total score of pandemic exposure, all events were counted and then weighted according to the severity of the possible burden of the event: occurrence of child infected with COVID-19 weighted by 10, occurrence of parent infected with COVID-19 weighted by 25, occurrence of family member hospitalized weighted by 50, occurrence of family member's death weighted by 100. The weights on the occurrence of COVID-19 infections (10 vs. 25) are based on findings of the Co-SPACE project reporting that children are more concerned about friends and family getting sick than about catching the virus themselves [12] or more worried about transmitting the virus to their grandparents [23]. ...
Background: The past 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic were stressful for most children and adolescents; some children may have experienced a high level of stress and trauma. To date, no study has examined self-reported stress and trauma levels due to COVID-19 in children. This study aimed to assess perceived threat, exposure and trauma symptoms in children aged 7–13 years. In addition, we explored whether parent-reported factors could predict a higher risk of COVID-19 vulnerability in their children.
Method: Cross-sectional data were collected from 752 children to assess COVID-19 threat, exposure and trauma symptoms using the self- and parent-reported Child and Adolescent Trauma Screening Self-Report (CATS) Trauma questionnaire. We used exploratory analyses (factor analysis of mixed data and hierarchical clustering) to identify subgroups (i.e., clusters) of children sharing similar characteristics in the dataset. Linear regression modeling was applied to determine the likelihood of higher threat and vulnerability in children with parent-reported COVID-19 threat, exposure, CATS trauma symptoms, behaviors on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and posttraumatic growth (PTG).
Results: We identified a high-risk group of children reporting clinically relevant trauma symptoms and COVID-19-related fears. Parents’ reports of trauma could be used to identify children at high risk.
Conclusions: Approximately 25% of children reported moderate to clinically relevant levels of trauma symptom. It is especially important to offer adequate support to these children to ease the trauma and prevent their symptoms from developing into psychopathology.
... Fitzpatrik and colleagues [24] found a high level of perceived need for mental health services both for children and adolescents, as well as their parents. Other qualitative studies in Spain and Italy during the first period of lockdown highlight how children had mixed feelings about the restrictions -both joy and relaxation of being at home with their family, but also fear, nervousness, loneliness, sadness, and anger [25,26,27]. In a study in Ireland, O'Sullivan and colleagues [28] highlight that the impact of the severe restrictions was increased mental health problems in families with vulnerable children. ...
Background: In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were encouraged to practice social distancing and schools and leisure venues were closed. Aims: We aim to explore the everyday experiences of Norwegian adolescents during COVID-19 restrictions, when in-person contact with peers was severely limited. Methods: A total of 622 high school students (16-18 years of age) replied to an online survey with open-ended questions about the changes they experienced in everyday life during the first three months of the pandemic. Analysis: Reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in four themes:
1) “Everyday life turned upside-down – everything is on hold”, 2) “Alone with my thoughts – new concerns”, 3) “A loss of social life – a fear of wasting important time”, and 4) “Gratitude – new perspectives in life”. The results are discussed according to mental health concerns and psychological developmental challenges during adolescence such as social exploration of roles with peers, autonomy, and identity formation during a crisis. Conclusion: The results underline individual variations and positive experiences among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic despite social restrictions. Still, the lack of in-person contact with friends is related to an increased experience of loneliness and mental health concerns for many of the adolescents.
... The degree to which parents are affected also influences their children (20,21). These effects on the family and children, as well as their needs during the first outbreak, were not taken into consideration (22,23). ...
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about important changes. On March 14, 2020, a strict home confinement was decreed in Spain. Children did not attend school and were not allowed to leave their homes. The aim of this study was to determine the emotional state of these children, as well as associated factors.
Material and methods
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online questionnaire sent by cell phone. This survey includes sociodemographic items and questions concerning the emotional impact of the lockdown. With the questions on emotions, two categories of emotional state were established with the variables fear, irritability, sadness and somatization: those who were less or more emotionally affected. A multivariate logistic model was used to estimate the associations between the variables.
Results
A total of 3,890 responses were obtained. The mean age of the children was 6.78 years (range 0 to 16). A score indicating poor emotional state was reported by 40.12%. The multivariate logistic model for poor emotional state was directly associated with having less appetite, sleep disturbances, and with parents' beliefs that their child will have difficulties returning to normal life after lockdown. A better emotional state was associated with being an only child, access to outdoor spaces at home, having pets, and parents informing their children about the pandemic using creative explanations.
Conclusions
During strict home confinement, a considerable emotional impact was observed in children as described by their parents. Specific elements were associated with a better or poorer emotional state.
... as an external stressor disrupted the functioning of couples. The sudden changes brought by the pandemic like unemployment, financial instability, and reduced job opportunities (Coibion et al.,2020) had a major psychological impact resulting in anxiety, and depression(Brodeur et al., 2020;Idoiaga Mondragon et al.,2020). The distressed couples then displaced their frustrations onto their partners leading to an increase in negative affect and marital conflicts. ...
The current study aimed to examine emotional self-disclosure and relationship satisfaction, among married adults during the COVID19 pandemic and to assess if disclosing emotions with one's partner tends to have any correlation with relationship satisfaction. The sample consisted of married adults in the age range of 20-50yrs from Bangalore urban, been married for more than 1 year and had an arranged marriage. Two psychometric tests were used namely; the Emotional self-disclosure scale and the Relationship satisfaction scale. Data was collected online through google forms. The final sample consisted of 130 individuals. The participants of the study expressed a low level of emotional self-disclosure and moderate levels of relationship satisfaction. There was no significant gender difference concerning emotional self-disclosure, however, there was a significant gender difference in relationship satisfaction (males showing low levels of satisfaction). Lastly, there was a significant positive relationship between emotional self-disclosure and relationship satisfaction. Thus, within the Indian diaspora, during the pandemic, emotional self-disclosure does seem to have been an important aspect that promotes positive emotional expression and relationship satisfaction among married adults.
... Our study also confirms that low levels of positive relationships with others, especially with family members, predispose children to low well-being during difficult circumstances (see Mondragon et al., 2021). This points to the need to strengthen family systems, which should include teaching parents through parent training programs how to communicate effectively with their children (Homem et al., 2015) and how to engage children in decision-making (Park et al., 2022). ...
This study employs a person-oriented approach to examine the heterogeneity of samples of primary school students (N = 2,333; 56.5% girls) and secondary school students (N = 2,329; 62.9% girls) in terms of levels of subjective well-being (SWB) in five domains: family, friends, school experience, body, and the local area. The study was conducted in Poland during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latent profile analysis revealed five profiles among primary school students and six profiles among secondary school students. The profiles identified among primary school students had their counterparts among secondary school students and included "highly satisfied," "moderately satisfied," "highly dissatisfied," "satisfied with their family life and local area and dissatisfied with their friends," and "satisfied with their family life and friends and dissatisfied with their local area" profiles. In both samples, the profile with high levels of satisfaction in all domains was the most numerous. Moreover, in secondary school students, we identified the sixth profile, which was highly satisfied with their friends and dissatisfied in other domains. We also noted that gender, age, type of school and positive relationships with others predicted the latent profile membership. The results of this study indicate the need to utilize the person-oriented approach to gain insight into various patterns of children's SWB. Moreover, the study provides some practical recommendations for preparing tailored interventions aimed at improving children's SWB.
Supplementary information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12187-022-09952-2.
... Vasileva et al. (2021) conducted a mixed-methods study with 399 preschool children aged 3-5 years. Whilst discussing their results the authors stated that young children in Australia (their own study) and Spain (Idoiaga Mondragon et al., 2021) had similar concerns, although containment measures and objective levels of COVID-19 exposure were different in these countries. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying containment measures such as
physical distancing and school closures led to major changes in children’s everyday lives. By means of a mixed-methods study, the “Tyrolean COVID-19 Children’s Study” investigated the effects of the pandemic and factors influencing mental health and health-related quality of life of North Tyrolean (Austria) and South Tyrolean (Italy) children aged 3–13 years. Parents filled out N = 2,691 online questionnaires (951 preschool children: 3–6 years; 1,740 schoolchildren: 7–13 years) at four measurement time points (March 2020, December 2020, June 2021, December 2021). For both age groups, children’s mental health outcomes (internalising problems, posttraumatic stress
symptoms) were worse in December 2021 (t4) than children’s mental health outcomes in March 2020 (t1). With regard to aggressive behaviour, this difference was only found among schoolchildren. Thematic analysis of an open ended, written question revealed the following positive changes in children during the Corona crisis: (1) the importance of intra- and extra-familial relationships, (2) new competences and experiences, (3) values and virtues, (4) use of time, and (5) family strength. Using multilevel modelling, threat experience, economic disruption, and perceived posttraumatic growth were shown to be the strongest predictors of all outcomes. Additionally, male gender was shown to be a predictor of aggressive behaviour. In terms of age, schoolchildren showed more internalising problems, aggressive behaviour, and threat experience than preschool children. With regard to time, parents in December 2021 reported more threat experience in older children and less perceived posttraumatic growth in both older and younger children, than parents at the beginning of the pandemic. Targeted support for vulnerable children may prevent longer-term development of psychopathologies and contribute to society’s psychosocial resilience in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, sustainable promotion of children’s posttraumatic growth can also contribute to children’s mental health and could even offer a chance to turn the crisis into an opportunity.
... In doing this, our findings build on extant quantitative literature into key concerns around mental health and well-being (Chaturvedi et al., 2021;Sama et al., 2021), the effects of school closures (Alvi & Gupta, 2020;Unni, 2020) and the knock-on effect of economic uncertainties and job losses on families (Banerjee, 2020;Dar, 2020). The emergent literature on children and youth's experience of COVID-19 lockdown around the world has highlighted how national differences in lockdown policies and existing inequalities have shaped these experiences (Kato et al., 2020;Mondragon et al., 2021) with students reporting educational anxieties amidst the drastic changes brought to their studies (Branquinho et al., 2021;Rotas & Cahapay, 2020). This article, therefore, develops these lines of emergent scholarship in new directions by centering the voices of Indian children and demonstrating how local spatial realities, policy frameworks and cultural codes inflect children's lived experiences of COVID-19 lockdown which are divergent and plural rather than universal around the globe. ...
Based on in‐depth interviews with 24 middle‐class Indian child participants, this is the first exploratory qualitative study, in India, to demonstrate the ways in which children as reflexive social actors re‐negotiated everyday schedules, drew on classed resources at their disposal and made sense of the impact of the pandemic on their educational pathways and future aspirations. These narratives offer a unique lens on the politics of middle‐classness and its constitutive relation to constructions of normative childhoods in contemporary India. Study findings contribute to the sociology of Indian childhood and more generally help enrich our understanding of southern childhoods and the reproduction of inequalities in contemporary India.
... As the authors suggested, "this method is based on the premise that words are not independent of each other, but reflect underlying themes", and "all discourse is expressed from a set of words that constitute units of meaning independently of their syntactic construction" ( [46], p. 5). In addition, other research used this approach when exploring the COVID-19 social representations in children and adolescents [47][48][49]. ...
The present research investigated children and adolescents’ explicit and spontaneous representation of the COVID-19 pandemic and their related emotions, cognitions, and coping strategies. We explored the self-reported protective factors and coping mechanisms, in addition to similar attributional emotional experiences, i.e., the ways participants evaluated others’ pandemic experiences. Our sample consisted of 155 children and adolescents aged 10 to 13 (M = 10.70, SD = 0.85, 56.1% females). We designed a 12-item survey and analyzed our data using both qualitative and quantitative
methods. Our findings suggested that most children and adolescents associated masks with the thought of the novel coronavirus, and the most frequently associated emotion was sadness (45.2%), followed by fear (17.4%). Generally, participants reported a medium level of perceived adverse effects of the pandemic, mainly because their regular physical school classes moved to the online setting. We also found a significant association between children’s self-reported levels of harmful effects of the pandemic and perceived adverse effects on their families. Most participants expressed their dissatisfaction concerning online school classes, primarily due to poor online interaction. In our
sample, the children and adolescents reported positive thoughts and family relationships as their primary coping mechanisms during the pandemic, suggesting similar perceived coping mechanisms in the others around them. Finally, more than half of the participants considered that the COVID-19 pandemic had no positive effects, while 40% considered the increased time spent with their families the primary positive consequences following the COVID-19 health crisis. Results are discussed regarding their implications concerning healthcare, social, and educational policies.
... The reported experiences of increased parenting stress in these families is striking when considered in their low-risk context, as the effects of the pandemic on family life are likely to be highly influenced by socioeconomic circumstance: families less economically and socially ʻwell placed' may be expected to have been faring worse. 36 Contrarily, it is possible that more advantaged parents experience perceptions of difficultiesalbeit from different sources than those less economically advantagedthat nevertheless have an impact for these families. For example, research with parents from high-income countries with higher educational attainment has demonstrated that they spent more time parenting their children than other parents, arguably a function of both more flexible jobs, and societal pressure. ...
Background
Stress can compromise parental well-being and may contribute to harsh and critical parenting styles, which are in turn associated with children's conduct problems. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related restrictions are likely to have exacerbated parental stress as, for many, UK-based family life was altered considerably. Mindfulness has been demonstrated to improve stress management and emotion regulation when delivered to parents in person, however, more accessible online interventions are under-researched.
Aims
To provide preliminary data on family well-being and parent–child relationships as well as the acceptability and usability of the Headspace app – a self-delivered mindfulness-based intervention – for parents in low-risk families during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method
We provided 12 parents with access to Headspace, and collected qualitative data (semi-structured interviews and 5 minute speech samples) immediately following the initial COVID-19 lockdown in the UK. The resulting transcripts were thematically analysed.
Results
Most parents reported Headspace to be acceptable and useful – improvements in parents’ own sleep were particularly noted – and there was high adherence to the intervention. However, difficulties related to family well-being and parent–child relationships following the lockdown were also reported.
Conclusions
As a result of the confounding impact of COVID-19 restrictions, and varied access to app content, we were unable to determine any outcomes to be a result of practising mindfulness specifically. However, COVID-19 has had a profound impact on many UK-based families, including those previously at low risk, and our results demonstrate that Headspace may have beneficial effects for parents. There is a need to more rigorously test this tool with a broader range of families.
The concept of inclusive education is well established in policy documents worldwide, but its implementation for pupils with additional support needs (ASN) still raises questions. The challenges of educating pupils with ASN increased significantly during the COVID‐19 pandemic due to changes in organisation of the teaching and learning process and the heightened need for support. To gain in‐depth insights into the experiences of upper secondary school pupils with ASN and their parents, an exploratory, phenomenological study of the perspectives of pupils and parents was conducted within the Croatian educational system. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 12 pupils with individualised educational programmes (IEPs) along with their parents. The data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Three participant profiles that differed in regard to the perception of stability/change of learning support during the pandemic were generated and described. The dominant perspective included the perception of consistently low teacher support during the pandemic, which arises from insufficient recognition of pupils' needs, reactive stance and placing responsibility for school success on pupils. The perception of intensified parental support was evident in some accounts of both parents and pupils, but the pupils' explicit invitation stood out as a key factor in the activation of parents.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented burdens on individuals and communities around the world. The isolation, fear, and uncertainty caused by the virus has led to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. The pandemic has also had a disproportionate impact on individuals and communities with low income and socioeconomic status.Objective
To shed light on the consequences of the pandemic on individuals from minorities and low-income areas, we investigate the main reasons that led patients who were referred to a social clinic of a private university in Rio de Janeiro to seek psychological treatment before (2019) and during the pandemic (2020 and 2021).Methods
We conducted a quanti-qualitative study with a lexical analysis that evaluated 549 complaint forms of patients seeking treatment in these two distinct periods. Our analyses included descending hierarchical analysis (DHA) and correspondence factor analysis (CFA).ResultsFamily dynamics and communication factors play a dominant role in the reason for seeking therapy and psychological treatment. Additionally, our study suggested an increase in anxiety and panic attacks among other mental health issues associated with grief and losses during the pandemic years.Conclusion
Based on these analyses, we can begin to identify a few changes in the main demand and redirection of complaints of patients during the period of COVID-19.
The COVID‐19 pandemic had an immediate negative impact on young people worldwide. However, there is a paucity of research examining the factors associated with good mental health, and specifically the factors that contributed to longer‐term positive outcomes. This study aimed to identify the protective factors among early adolescents in the United Kingdom that were associated with better mental health outcomes (internalizing and externalizing difficulties, and well‐being) during the second national lockdown, and any differences in protective factors between the first and second lockdowns. Between September and December 2020 (T1; N = 290), and March and May 2021 (T2; N = 72), 11 to 14‐year‐olds across North‐West England completed an online survey pertaining to their experiences of lockdown, and mental health and wellbeing. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyse the data. Results indicated that peer support was protective across all three mental health outcomes at T2. While optimism was protective across all three outcomes at T1, it was not significant at T2. School support and community and family connection were also significant predictors at T1 only. While support from multiple different sources may have been more important in the early days of the pandemic, support from peers was key in maintaining long‐term mental health.
Изменения, вызванные пандемией, карантином и прочими последствиями распространения COVID‑19 неизбежно сказались на привычном образе жизни взрослых и детей, в том числе и на их психическом состоянии. Пандемия усилила цифровое неравенство и эффекты социального неблагополучия. В статье представлены результаты исследования подростковой повседневности и подростковых переживаний в период пандемии COVID‑19. Основным методом сбора данных стало полуструктурированное интервью с подростками 13–16 лет. Также использованы три проективные методики: «завершение предложений»; «киносценарий про повседневную жизнь, свою и своего окружения в постпандемический период» и незавершенный рисунок человечков, в образе которых персонифицирована жизнь общества до пандемии, в настоящем и будущем. Проекция была использована для понимания скрытых смыслов и значений, планов на будущее подростков, ощутивших на себе влияние пандемии. Всего в исследовании приняли участие 20 подростков, по десять юношей и девушек. Информанты проживают в небольшом городе – Комсомольске-на-Амуре. В фокусе исследования – выявления особенностей субъективного благополучия / неблагополучия подростков в ситуации изменения их повседневности из-за пандемии COVID‑19. Пандемия внесла изменения в повседневные практики подростков, связанные со здоровьем, образованием, организацией досуга, коммуникациями со сверстниками и членами семьи. В ходе исследования выявлены новые социальные страхи подростков, связанные с COVID‑19, особенности образа будущего и отношения респондентов к своему социальному статусу. Зафиксированы проявления агентности подростков в сфере образования через практики самоорганизации, планирования свободного времени и поиска учебной информации.
Zusammenfassung: Theoretischer Hintergrund: Bei der COVID-19-Pandemie handelt es sich um eine globale Krise und internationale Studien zeigen Auswirkungen auf Kinder aus Sicht von Kindern und Eltern. Fragestellung: Da die COVID-19-Pandemie eine alle betreffende, neuartige Krisensituation darstellt, wurde in der vorliegenden qualitativen Teilstudie der COVID-19-Kinderstudie der Frage nachgegangen, welche Veränderungen bei den Grundschulkindern aus Pädagog_innensicht mit dieser Krisensituation einhergegangen sind. Methode: Hierfür wurden im Frühling 2021 11 Fokusgruppen mit 31 Nordtiroler Grundschulpädagog_innen durchgeführt und mit der Thematischen Analyse ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Sowohl Belastungsreaktionen als auch positive Veränderungen wurden beobachtet. Die Belastungsreaktionen konnten in Verhaltenssymptome, emotionale sowie körperliche Symptome unterteilt werden. Als positive Veränderungen wurden Verhaltensveränderungen und Veränderungen auf emotionaler Ebene beobachtet. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Es gilt, die Belastungsreaktionen ernst zu nehmen, sowohl an den Schulen als auch von Seiten der Gesellschaft. Positive Veränderungen sollen als Ressourcen gefördert werden.
The COVID-19 outbreak led to major restrictions globally, affecting people's psychosocial health and their health behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the available research regarding nature and health in the COVID-19 context. Keywords relating to natural environments and COVID-19 were combined to conduct a systematic online search in six major databases. Eligibility criteria were a) published since 2020 with data collected in the COVID-19 context b) peer-reviewed, c) original empirical data collected on human participants, d) investigated the association between natural environments and psychosocial health or health behaviors, and e) English, German, or Scandinavian languages. Out of 9126 articles being screened, we identified 188 relevant articles, representing 187 distinct studies. Most research focused on adults in the general population and was predominantly conducted in the USA, Europe, and China. Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. Through a systematic thematic analysis of the extracted data, three primary themes were identified: 1) type of nature assessed, 2) psychosocial health and health behaviors investigated, and 3) heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship. Research gaps in the COVID-19 context were identified regarding I) nature characteristics that promote psychosocial health and health behaviors, II) investigations of digital and virtual nature, III) psychological constructs relating to mental health promotion, IV) health-promoting behaviors other than physical activity, V) underlying mechanisms regarding heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship based on human, nature, and geographic characteristics, and VI) research focusing on vulnerable groups. Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health. However, future research is warranted to fill the mentioned research gaps and to examine the long-term effects of nature exposure during COVID-19.
Several research studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed its negative impact on the psychological well-being and quality of life of the population. The objective of this research-synthesis is to reveal the psycho-behavioral influence of the pandemic on the population. The authors conducted a systematic review according to the PRISMA (preferred elements for systematic review and meta-analysis) criteria, which included experimental and non-randomized controlled trials, observational research, and qualitative research using a biopsychosocial approach. They selected 23 publications that met the inclusion criteria and then ranked the main specific findings on the psychological and behavioral impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the community. The results revealed that the pandemic generates stress, anxiety, helplessness, and social behavioral difficulties in the population. The research synthesis identified gaps and strengths in the prevention and management of population mental health in order to help governments develop well-structured intervention and protection programs.
Vulnerable populations, such as patients with mental illnesses, are known to be overly influenced during disasters and pandemics. However, little is known about how people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions in the world with a prevalence of 1%, are affected by health-related disasters, particularly the current Covid-19 pandemic. We investigated how individuals with ASD responded to Covid-19 in terms of comprehension and adherence to implemented measures; changes in their behavioral problems; and how the anxiety levels of their caregivers relate to these behavioral changes. Our sample consisted of 50 individuals with ASD (30 male and 20 female; ages ranged from 3 to 14). The majority of our participants had trouble grasping what Covid-19 is and the measurements it necessitates. They also encountered difficulties in implementing pandemic-related social distance and hygiene regulations. During this time, the majority of students stopped receiving special education. In terms of increased stereo-types, aggression, hypersensitivity, behavioral problems, and sleep and appetite changes, we observed a Covid-19-related clinical presentation that resembled PTSD in individuals with ASD. Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) subscales differed significantly before and after the pandemic conditions. There were differences among the caregivers’ anxiety levels between the current behavioral problem levels to the behavioral problem levels prior to the pandemic. The difference in ABC total score, and specifically the lethargy/social withdrawal subscale score, predicted the anxiety score of the parents. Our findings suggest that the Covid-19 period poses unique challenges for people with ASD and their caregivers, emphasizing the importance of targeted, distance special education interventions and other support services for this population.
Children’s readjustment to preschool following long-term school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic merits special attention. This study examined children’s preschool readjustment using a survey of 1008 teachers in a high-risk region and 1399 teachers in a fluctuating-risk region of China. Results found are as follows. (1) children’s preschool readjustment was at a medium level after the long-term school closures. However, children’s preschool readjustment scores in the fluctuating-risk region were significantly lower than those in the high-risk region. (2) Children in both regions were divided into four profiles based on their preschool readjustment: low-level, middle-level, upper-middle-level, and high-level groups. (3) Preschool transition practices and teachers’ turnover intention are common factors relating to preschool readjustment in both regions. Teachers’ professional development support impacted children’s preschool readjustment only in the high-risk region. The findings inform the design of targeted interventions to help children readjust to preschool across different risk regions.
The primary aim of the study was to detect stress (overall level and dimension of helplessness and self-efficacy) by the help of the Slovak version of the PSS-10 questionnaire in a group of Slovak teachers (N = 371) during the coronavirus pandemic. The results of online data collection from teachers from all regions of Slovakia reflect a moderate level of perceived stress (M = 20.06, SD = 7.78) in the population of teachers. A low level of stress is made up of 1/5 of the research group of teachers involved. The aim was also to verify the level of stress between the different age groups of teachers and also with regard to the different time that teachers devote to their interests on a daily basis. There were statistically significant differences (p <.05) between groups of teachers in the age group 36-45 years compared to the age category 46 and older, in terms of an average higher score of perceived stress in 36-45-year-old teachers. The results of the studies confirmed that teachers who pursue their interests for more than two hours a day achieve significantly (p <0.001) lower level of perceived stress compared to teachers who pursue their interests up to a maximum of two hours a day. The results are in accord with the WHO (2020) recommendations that engagement with interests is associated with lower levels of stress.
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, social-distancing measures have been implemented worldwide, including school closures. Previous studies indicated that children's relational social cohesion with family (RSC-Fa) and friends (RSC-Fr) may have decreased during the pandemic, but some children described that positive experiences were gained from the confinement measures of social distancing. Mostly, these studies are qualitative or capture a single country and have an exploratory character. Using data collected in 2021 of more than 20,000 children primarily aged 9–13 years as part of the International Children's Worlds COVID-19 Supplement Survey from 18 countries (Germany, Turkey, Bangladesh, Italy, Albania, Romania, Chile, Wales, Taiwan, Belgium, Algeria, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Indonesia, Estonia, Finland, and Spain), this study aimed to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected children's RSC-Fa and RSC-Fr and explore the role of relational factors. RSC-Fa and RSC-Fr are measured through satisfaction in relationships with family members and friends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. We employed descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Our analyses confirmed the decrease in RSC-Fa and RSC-Fr, with a noticeably bigger decrease in RSC-Fr. Five profiles of change in RSC emerged: (1) gainers in both RSC; (2) gainers in RSC-Fa and decliners in RSC-Fr; (3) no change in either RSC; (4) decliners in RSC-Fa and gainers in RSC-Fr; and (5) decliners in both RSC. The quantity and quality of children's relationships differ by their profiles of change in RSC. For example, it was significantly more likely that “decliners in both RSC” had to be at home all day because of COVID-19 than “gainers in both RSC” or “no changers.” Mainly, the quantity of relationship factors, and among different quality factors, only autonomy perceptions, help to explain the children belonging to the “gainers in both RSC” profile compared to the “no changers.” Meanwhile, almost all the quantity and quality of relationships factors help to explain children's belonging to the “decliners in both RSC” profile compared to “no changers.” In conclusion, our study confirmed the importance of keeping schools open to protect the RSC of children.
The aim of this research is to determine the technology use skills of teachers before and after distance education. This study is a descriptive research in the cross-sectional survey model. The multi-stage sampling method was used in the selection of the teachers participating in the research. Percentage, frequency and content analysis techniques were used in the analysis process of the data obtained from the interviews with the teachers. According to the teachers' views on the frequency of using technology after the pandemic, technology is frequently used in learning environments. They also stated that the application they use most in their courses is EBA. According to the findings, it has been suggested that teachers receive in-service training in online education.
Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the daily life of girls and boys worldwide.
Methods: This online study explored the effects of Covid-19 containment measures on Austrian and Italian children’s mental health (threat experience, anxiety, trauma symptoms). Data was collected at three measurement time points (June 2020, December 2020, June 2021) from 558 children (50,2 % girls), and 1.133 adults, who have children aged 7-13. Children and parents reported about the children’s mental health.
Results: The findings revealed an inconsistent picture of gender differences and similarities: girls and boys reported a similar amount of threat experience, anxiety and trauma symptoms. Parents also estimated girls’ and boys’ mental health similarly. Gender differences became apparent when the parents’ estimations of girls’ and boys’ trauma symptoms were compared to children’s self-reports. Parents underestimated children’s trauma symptoms at all measurement time points.
Conclusions: The results are discussed against the background of socio-constructionist and socio-developmental gender theories. Future research should explore the socialisation of girls and boys during a pandemic.
Intelligence does not only lie in cognitive, but interpersonal is a form of multiple intelligences. This research is based on learning centers in several kindergarten in Bengkulu whose implementation is still very varied. This research was conducted on children at Kindergarten IT Auladuna Bengkulu by applying edutainment-based learning centers. This school was chosen because the implementation of the learning center was in accordance with the guidelines approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The research design used was a one group pretest-posttest design. Data were taken by pretest and posttest in the experimental class and the control class. The results showed that the application of edutainment-based learning centers had a significant N-Gain effectiveness. The result is an average of 78.99% which is high when compared to the control class learning (mean 23.03%) carried out in that school. So it can be concluded that the application of edutainment-based learning centers has been effective in improving children's interpersonal intelligence.
The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in major upheavals in the school education sector, particularly during periods of “lockdown” and remote working. While the impact of these changes on pupils, parents and school staff, both nationally and internationally, has been well-documented, there has been scant consideration of the effects on disabled educators. In addition, the mixed nature of the existing research findings in the special education context – revealing positives, as well as negatives from Covid-related adjustments – suggests the need to learn broader lessons from the impact of these measures. In this article, we report on findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 autistic school staff working in a range of roles in schools in the UK. Using thematic analysis, participants’ experiences of lockdown were analysed. Importantly, these were also compared with participants’ experiences outside of the pandemic. The resulting five themes – sensory issues and the working environment; communication and social barriers and freedoms; stresses and strengths associated with technology; navigating home/school boundaries; and modalities of change – revealed some of the significant difficulties autistic school staff typically experience in their work, as well as the factors that intersect with these. Although periods of Covid-related measures created additional stresses for participants, they also provided a respite from the usual pressures, and indeed enabled their strengths – including an ability to manage change – to be more manifest. Valuable insights, which could benefit autistic school staff, pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and the whole school community in the UK and beyond, are discussed.
If researchers are to understand the impacts of lockdown on children and young people, then the experiences of lockdown need to be explored from the perspective of the child. Young people participate in leisure for a multitude of reasons, yet, within the UK, children were largely unable to access their regular leisure activities for a six-month period during the first national lockdown. Within the context of this paper, leisure includes out door sports and physical activities within blue spaces. Following inter views with parents and young people (aged 11–16) focused on experiences of leisure during the Covid-19 pandemic, this qualitative study identified that children felt an intense sense of missing out on opportunities and found day-to-day life without leisure monotonous. However, there were some positive impacts of reduced leisure, such as a greater appreciation for what was once a regular activity. This research empowered the voice of children, so their distinct experiences were made visible to those who aim to support their wellbeing. Findings suggest that the promotion of leisure activities in the current climate could mitigate poor wellbeing among children associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
A crise pandémica que vivemos, motivada pela disseminação da COVID-19, tem tido um alcance massivo que não conhece fronteiras, acarretando sentimentos de vulnerabilidade e insegurança que trespassam classes sociais e grupos geracionais. No caso da infância, as situações de crise são particularmente impactantes no exercício dos seus direitos básicos. Conscientes desta realidade, consideramos ser fundamental recentrar a reflexão e contribuir com conhecimento produzido a partir das vozes das crianças, que nos permita caracterizar o seu bem-estar subjetivo em tempos de pandemia. Para tal, apresentaremos uma reflexão sobre a infância e o conceito de bem-estar subjetivo, a qual nos apoiará na análise dos dados resultantes de uma pesquisa, que teve como objetivo, precisamente, caracterizar o bem-estar subjetivo das crianças em tempos de pandemia. Para o efeito, foi desenvolvido online um “Questionário sobre o bem-estar das crianças em tempo de pandemia”, tendo em vista aceder às perceções das crianças relativamente às dimensões da saúde, educação, relacionamentos com familiares e pares e satisfação com a vida. Cumulativamente, em parceria com a “Rádio Miúdos”, foram também realizados “Debates Temáticos” com as crianças sobre a situação pandémica. A partir da análise e discussão dos dados obtidos, é possível divulgar conhecimentos sobre a sua vida quotidiana, entre crianças, na família e na comunidade, e promover a compreensão das suas convicções, do seu grau de satisfação com o meio e com as relações que mantêm em situação de pandemia.
Objectives
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to family life, society and essential health and other services. A rapid review of evidence was conducted to examine emerging evidence on the effects of the pandemic on three components of nurturing care, including responsive caregiving, early learning, and safety and security.
Design
Two academic databases, organisational websites and reference lists were searched for original studies published between 1 January and 25 October 2020. A single reviewer completed the study selection and data extraction with verification by a second reviewer.
Interventions
We included studies with a complete methodology and reporting on quantitative or qualitative evidence related to nurturing care during the pandemic.
Primary and secondary outcome measures
Studies reporting on outcomes related to responsive caregiving, early learning, and safety and security were included.
Results
The search yielded 4410 citations in total, and 112 studies from over 30 countries met our eligibility criteria. The early evidence base is weighted towards studies in high-income countries, studies related to caregiver mental health and those using quantitative survey designs. Studies reveal issues of concern related to increases in parent and caregiver stress and mental health difficulties during the pandemic, which was linked to harsher and less warm or responsive parenting in some studies. A relatively large number of studies examined child safety and security and indicate a reduction in maltreatment referrals. Lastly, studies suggest that fathers’ engagement in caregiving increased during the early phase of the pandemic, children’s outdoor play and physical activity decreased (while screen time increased), and emergency room visits for child injuries decreased.
Conclusion
The results highlight key evidence gaps (ie, breastfeeding support and opportunities for early learning) and suggest the need for increased support and evidence-based interventions to ensure young children and other caregivers are supported and protected during the pandemic.
Objective:
The general objective of this research was to explore how children understand and represent COVID-19 health crisis in their everyday thinking.
Design:
This research is based on a qualitative interpretive research methodology that uses 6-12 years children's drawings from San Sebastian (Basque Country, northern of Spain) to collect data. This technique allows children to visualize how they face this situation through a tool that promotes expression of their feelings and representations.
Results:
A total of 345 drawings were collected, and 949 elements related to the different coded categories were coded. The themes that have arisen were related to symbols of the pandemic (n = 307, 32.34%), emotions (n = 290, 30.55%), actions carried out (n = 258, 27.18%) and socialization (n = 94, 9.90%). No differences by age-range were found.
Conclusions:
Children have a realistic representation of the COVID-19 virus and its consequences, which closely resembles the representation shown by the media and society. The children show a good understanding of the new measures and social rules associated with the pandemic. They are also very aware of the need to support their emotions by different spheres (family, educational and social context). Alternative play activities and art-based education must be promoted, avoiding the abuse of screens to reinforce their well-being.
p style="text-align: justify;">In this research, the influence of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement is analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. A posttest only with control group design was used to compare the mathematics marks of 9th grade students from the previous school year (before the pandemic, control group) and the current school year (during the pandemic, experimental group). Seventy-three students from a public high school in Spain attending class on alternate days participated in the study. Three focus group sessions were held with students, and five semi-structured interviews were conducted—two with teachers and three with students’ families. Results show statistically significant differences in students’ mathematics achievement, with students enrolled in 9th grade the previous (pre-pandemic) year outscoring their peers currently enrolled in 9th grade (during the pandemic) by 22.17%. An overall negative effect size of Hedge’s g = -1.11 was reported. Although significant statistical differences between groups were reported for both male and female students, the effect was 42.31% larger for male students (Hedge’s g = -1.11) than for females (Hedge’s g = -0.78). The qualitative information supported the quantitative results. Changes in educational settings, students’ lack of motivation, monotony, and students’ level of responsibility were qualitatively reported as factors that may explain this phenomenon. The main conclusion of this study is that the COVID-19 pandemic may be significantly and negatively affecting 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement.</p
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about important changes. On March 14, 2020, a strict home confinement was decreed in Spain. Children did not attend school and were not allowed to leave their homes. The aim of this study was to determine the emotional state of these children, as well as associated factors.
Material and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online questionnaire sent by cell phone. This survey includes sociodemographic items and questions concerning the emotional impact of the lockdown. With the questions on emotions, two categories of emotional state were established with the variables fear, irritability, sadness and somatization: those who were less or more emotionally affected. A multivariate logistic model was used to estimate the associations between the variables.
Results: A total of 3890 responses were obtained. The mean age of the children was 6.47 years (range 0 to 17). A score indicating poor emotional state was reported by 40.12%. The multivariate logistic model for poor emotional state was directly associated with having less appetite, sleep disturbances, and with parents’ beliefs that their child will have difficulties returning to normal life after lockdown. A better emotional state was associated with being an only child, access to outdoor spaces at home, having pets, and parents informing their children about the pandemic using creative explanations.
Conclusions: During strict home confinement, a considerable emotional impact was observed in children as described by their parents. Specific elements were associated with a better or poorer emotional state.
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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23328584221084722
The mental health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on PK–12 youth is likely an urgent and enduring concern, yet research on this topic is still emerging. To synthesize current knowledge, the researchers conducted a systematic review of empirical studies exploring the mental health impacts of COVID-19. Five themes emerged across 104 included studies: (a) the pandemic proved widely disruptive to PK–12 youth; (b) there was a clear connection between the mental health of caregivers (e.g., parents) and children; (c) the pandemic broadly increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in PK–12 youth; (d) students were particularly affected on the basis of age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and previous mental health or disability diagnosis; and (e) youth demonstrated negative and positive coping strategies and even saw some positive mental health outcomes during the pandemic. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.
Background:
The lockdown imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic brought deep changes in the daily life of Italian children and adolescents, increasing the time spent at home. This study aims to explore how activities that children and adolescents carried out at home during the lockdown were related to their emotional and behavioral wellbeing.
Method:
Parents completed an anonymous online survey on how much time their children and adolescents dedicated to social networks, solitary screen time, play time and to a series of parent-child dyadic activities. They also reported on their offspring's emotional difficulties and behavioral problems.
Results:
The use of social networks had a negative impact on children's emotional difficulties, while it promoted wellbeing in adolescents. Pertaining to solitary screen activities, these were associated with more behavioral problems both in children and adolescents. Regarding parent-child dyadic activities, get along with the parent was associated with less emotional difficulties and behavioral problems in children, and with less behavioral problems in adolescents. Furthermore, for adolescents, the more they talked with the parent, the less behavioral problems they evidenced.
Conclusion:
The current study may help to identify activities that could be promoted and those that should be limited to effectively menage home time, in order to ultimately safeguard the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of children and adolescents.
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about important changes. On March 14, 2020, a strict home confinement was decreed in Spain. Children did not attend school and were not allowed to leave their homes. The aim of this study was to determine the emotional state of these children, as well as associated factors.
Material and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online questionnaire sent by cell phone. This survey includes sociodemographic items and questions concerning the emotional impact of the lockdown. With the questions on emotions, two categories of emotional state were established with the variables fear, irritability, sadness and somatization: those who were less or more emotionally affected. A multivariate logistic model was used to estimate the associations between the variables.
Results: A total of 3890 responses were obtained. The mean age of the children was 6.47 years (range 0 to 17). A score indicating poor emotional state was reported by 40.12%. The multivariate logistic model for poor emotional state was directly associated with having less appetite, sleep disturbances, and with parents’ beliefs that their child will have difficulties returning to normal life after lockdown. A better emotional state was associated with being an only child, access to outdoor spaces at home, having pets, and parents informing their children about the pandemic using creative explanations.
Conclusions: During strict home confinement, a considerable emotional impact was observed in children as described by their parents. Specific elements were associated with a better or poorer emotional state.
Background
Whilst children and young people have not often been at forefront of the immediate Covid-19 pandemic health response there has been concern about the indirect consequences of Covid-19 on children’s physical and mental health and what the effect of the pandemic will be throughout their lifetimes. Early adolescence is a time of transition and reorientation. This study considers the impact of the first UK Covid-19 lockdown on early adolescents.
Methods
The study topic was identified through a consultation process which aimed to provide appropriate evidence to local decision makers in Bradford, UK and plan for future interventions. Children and their parents were sampled from the Born in Bradford cohort. 41 interviews (with 20 families: 20 parents and 21 children) were carried out between August and September 2020. Interview data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
The transitional age of the children interviewed had an important influence on their experience Covid-19 and the first UK lockdown. Their age combined with lockdown and school closures meant that they missed out on key learning and social opportunities at a crucial time in their lives. Covid-19 and lockdown also disrupted their daily mental wellbeing and led to increased anxiety, lethargy and low moods, during a period of personal change and social transition.
Conclusion
For children at the start of their adolescence undergoing change and formation, the experiences and feelings Covid-19 has set in motion will likely have an impact on their mental and cognitive functioning as they develop further. It is important to acknowledge these early adolescent experiences and continue to monitor and provide targeted support to this group of young people.
This preliminary, exploratory and qualitative report aimed at at raising public debate on the topic of psychological consequences of Covid-19 lockdown in children. Results are exploratory and conclusions are speculative and must be confirmed through further rigorous studies. Our preliminary data suggests that during the first month of quarantine, the pandemic had an important effect on children's emotions and behavior. One in four children (26.48%) showed the regressive symptom of the demand for physical proximity to their parents during the night and almost one in five (18.17%) manifested fears that they never had before. Half of the children (53.53%) showed increased irritability, intolerance to rules, whims and excessive demands, and one in five presented mood changes (21.17%) and sleep problems including difficulty falling asleep, agitation, and frequent waking up (19.99%). One in three (34.26%) displayed nervousness about the topic of pandemic when it was mentioned at home or on TV. Almost one in three (31.38%) seemed calmer and one in two (49.57%) seemed wiser and more thoughtful. Almost all (92.57%) seemed able to adapt to the pandemic restrictions; even though one in two (43.26%) seemed more listless to the activities they were used to perform before the pandemic including playing, studying, and gaming.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led governments worldwide to implement unprecedented response strategies. While crucial to limiting the spread of the virus, “social distancing” may lead to severe psychological consequences, especially in lonely individuals. We used cross-sectional (n=380) and longitudinal (n=74) designs to investigate the links between loneliness, mental health symptoms (MHS) and COVID-19 risk perception and affective response in young adults who implemented social distancing during the first two weeks of the state of epidemic threat in Poland. Loneliness was correlated with MHS and with affective response to COVID-19’s threat to health. However, increased worry about the social isolation and heightened risk perception for financial problems was observed in lonelier individuals. The cross-lagged influence of the initial affective response to COVID-19 on subsequent levels of loneliness was also found. Thus, the reciprocal connections between loneliness and COVID-19 response may be of crucial importance for MHS during COVID-19 crisis.
As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues, an increasing number of countries and territories are adopting restrictive measures based on physical (“social”) distancing, aimed at preventing human-to-human transmission and thereby limiting virus propagation. Nationwide lockdowns, encompassing mass quarantine under stay-at-home ordinances, have already been proven effective to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in some countries. Nevertheless, a prolonged homestay may also be associated with potential side effects, which may jeopardize people’s health and thus must be recognized and mitigated in a ways without violating local ordinances. Some of the most important undesirable consequences of prolonged homestay such as physical inactivity, weight gain, behavioral addiction disorders, insufficient sunlight exposure and social isolation, will be critically addressed in this article, which also aims to provide some tentative recommendations for side effects alleviation.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic emerged in Wuhan, China, spread nationwide and then onto half a dozen other countries between December 2019 and early 2020. The implementation of unprecedented strict quarantine measures in China has kept a large number of people in isolation and affected many aspects of people’s lives. It has also triggered a wide variety of psychological problems, such as panic disorder, anxiety and depression. This study is the first nationwide large-scale survey of psychological distress in the general population of China during the COVID-19 epidemic.
This article reports a systematic review of educational research relating to the most common methodological strategies used by researchers to listen to children’s voices. We followed the EPPI-centre approach (2007) to identify what the most widely used methodological strategies are, in order to listen to the voice of 3 to 7 years olds children. Our review identified 210 empirical studies from peer-reviewed journals written in English and Spanish between 2015 and 2018, of which, only 34 studies met the inclusion criteria for this study. Findings revealed that adult-led interviews and adult-led observations were the most common methodological strategies to listen to children’s voices followed by group discussions to a lesser extent. We found limited evidence of studies using hands-on activities where children were given the power to decide how to, and what type of information they wanted to express (i.e., school child-led tours), however these strategies did not prevail in the literature reviewed. Issues of adult-child power imbalances were identified -arguably posing challenges to listen to children’s voices. These findings have implications for policy, practice and research internationally.
Background
Evidence suggests that participation in physical activity may support young people’s current and future mental health. Although previous reviews have examined the relationship between physical activity and a range of mental health outcomes in children and adolescents, due to the large increase in published studies there is a need for an update and quantitative synthesis of effects.
Objectives
The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of physical activity interventions on mental health outcomes by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, and to systematically synthesize the observational evidence (both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies) regarding the associations between physical activity and sedentary behavior and mental health in preschoolers (2–5 years of age), children (6–11 years of age) and adolescents (12–18 years of age).
Methods
A systematic search of the PubMed and Web of Science electronic databases was performed from January 2013 to April 2018, by two independent researchers. Meta-analyses were performed to examine the effect of physical activity on mental health outcomes in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs (i.e. quasi-experimental studies). A narrative synthesis of observational studies was conducted. Studies were included if they included physical activity or sedentary behavior data and at least one psychological ill-being (i.e. depression, anxiety, stress or negative affect) or psychological well-being (i.e. self-esteem, self-concept, self-efficacy, self-image, positive affect, optimism, happiness and satisfaction with life) outcome in preschoolers, children or adolescents.
Results
A total of 114 original articles met all the eligibility criteria and were included in the review (4 RCTs, 14 non-RCTs, 28 prospective longitudinal studies and 68 cross-sectional studies). Of the 18 intervention studies, 12 (3 RCTs and 9 non-RCTs) were included in the meta-analysis. There was a small but significant overall effect of physical activity on mental health in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years (effect size 0.173, 95% confidence interval 0.106–0.239, p < 0.001, percentage of total variability attributed to between-study heterogeneity [I²] = 11.3%). When the analyses were performed separately for children and adolescents, the results were significant for adolescents but not for children. Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies demonstrated significant associations between physical activity and lower levels of psychological ill-being (i.e. depression, stress, negative affect, and total psychological distress) and greater psychological well-being (i.e. self-image, satisfaction with life and happiness, and psychological well-being). Furthermore, significant associations were found between greater amounts of sedentary behavior and both increased psychological ill-being (i.e. depression) and lower psychological well-being (i.e. satisfaction with life and happiness) in children and adolescents. Evidence on preschoolers was nearly non-existent.
Conclusions
Findings from the meta-analysis suggest that physical activity interventions can improve adolescents’ mental health, but additional studies are needed to confirm the effects of physical activity on children’s mental health. Findings from observational studies suggest that promoting physical activity and decreasing sedentary behavior might protect mental health in children and adolescents. PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42017060373.
This paper is concerned specifically with the pedagogies applied in supporting learning through children’s play, and it is framed outside mainstream discourses on the nature of play. The development of the paper also represents one stage in a continuing effort to develop a better understanding of sustained shared thinking in early childhood education. The paper focuses on the educational potential of shared playful learning activities. However, given the overwhelming consensus regarding the importance of play in early childhood development, even a diehard educational pragmatist must begin by addressing subjects that are most commonly considered by psychologists. The paper begins with an account of ‘sustained shared thinking’, a pedagogical concept that was first identified in a mixed method, but essentially educational effectiveness study. Then a consideration of the nature and processes of ‘learning’ and ‘development’ is offered. It is argued that popular accounts of a fundamental difference in the perspectives of Piaget and Vygotsky have distracted educational attention from the most important legacy that they have left to early childhood education; the notion of ‘emergent development’. Pedagogic progression in the early years is then identified as an educational response to, and an engagement with, the most commonly observed, evidence based developmental trajectories of young children as they learn through play.
Almost 20 years ago, in a paper introducing the text mining (TM) technique to my fellow statisticians, I expressed the fear that: “it would be unfortunate that this technique, because it is apparently so easy to use, would be abused by incompetent analysts” (Lahlou, 1994, my translation). And therefore I urged expert statisticians to engage in this issue and circumscribe abuses.
There is growing evidence to suggest that exposure to natural environments can be associated with mental health benefits. Proximity to greenspace has been associated with lower levels of stress (Thompson et al., 2012) and reduced symptomology for depression and anxiety (Beyer et al., 2014), while interacting with nature can improve cognition for children with attention deficits (Taylor and Kuo, 2009) and individuals with depression (Berman et al., 2012). A recent epidemiological study has shown that people who move to greener urban areas benefit from sustained improvements in their mental health (Alcock et al., 2014). In this paper we critically review evidence indicating that such mental health benefits are associated with the so-called “restorative” properties of natural environments. In particular we focus on the claim that interaction with (or just passive perception of) natural scene content can be linked to the restoration of limited-capacity attentional resources, in comparison to similar exposure to urban or built scene content.
Background:
A body of evidence shows that both physical activity and exposure to nature are connected to improved general and mental health. Experimental studies have consistently found short term positive effects of physical activity in nature compared with built environments. This study explores whether these benefits are also evident in everyday life, perceived over repeated contact with nature. The topic is important from the perspectives of city planning, individual well-being, and public health.
Methods:
National survey data (n = 2,070) from Finland was analysed using structural regression analyses. Perceived general health, emotional well-being, and sleep quality were regressed on the weekly frequency of physical activity indoors, outdoors in built environments, and in nature. Socioeconomic factors and other plausible confounders were controlled for.
Results:
Emotional well-being showed the most consistent positive connection to physical activity in nature, whereas general health was positively associated with physical activity in both built and natural outdoor settings. Better sleep quality was weakly connected to frequent physical activity in nature, but the connection was outweighed by other factors.
Conclusion:
The results indicate that nature provides an added value to the known benefits of physical activity. Repeated exercise in nature is, in particular, connected to better emotional well-being.
Le but de ce chapitre est de présenter une méthode et un outil de statistique textuelle dont l’apport pour le domaine d’étude des représentations sociales se mesure déjà au nombre de recherches l’ayant utilisé avec pertinence et succès. C’est une méthode qui, selon nous, peut stimuler le dialogue au sein des disciplines du social quant à la nature de nos corpus textuels, nos hypothèses, traitements et interprétations, bref quant à la mesure du pouvoir symbolique du langage des représentations. Nous n’avons pas là, la prétention de présenter le détail algorithmique du logiciel, ni même de suivre à la lettre les théorisations qui ont inspiré sa conception. Cette méthode et ce logiciel nous intéressent dans la mesure où ils contiennent un potentiel important d’acclimatation à « notre » logique de recherche contribuant à une approche herméneutique du contenu des discours et tentant plus généralement de rendre intelligible la communication sociale.
Objectives:
This study investigated the psychosocial responses of children and their parents to pandemic disasters, specifically measuring traumatic stress responses in children and parents with varying disease-containment experiences.
Methods:
A mixed-method approach using survey, focus groups, and interviews produced data from 398 parents. Adult respondents completed the University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSD-RI) Parent Version and the PTSD Check List Civilian Version (PCL-C).
Results:
Disease-containment measures such as quarantine and isolation can be traumatizing to a significant portion of children and parents. Criteria for PTSD was met in 30% of isolated or quarantined children based on parental reports, and 25% of quarantined or isolated parents (based on self-reports).
Conclusions:
These findings indicate that pandemic disasters and subsequent disease-containment responses may create a condition that families and children find traumatic. Because pandemic disasters are unique and do not include congregate sites for prolonged support and recovery, they require specific response strategies to ensure the behavioral health needs of children and families. Pandemic planning must address these needs and disease-containment measures.
The relationship between parents' styles of talking about past events with their children and children's recall of stressful events was explored. In this investigation, 2- to 5-year-old children's recall of injuries requiring hospital emergency room treatment was assessed within a few days of the injury and again 2 years later, along with the way their parents reminisced with them about the event. Correlational analyses showed that age and parental reminiscing style were consistently related to child memory; regression analyses showed that although age was most important, parents who were more elaborative had children who recalled more during their initial interview about the harder-to-remember hospital event. Thus, an elaborative parental style may help children's recall of even highly salient and stressful events. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The concept of mechanisms that protect people against the psychological risks associated with adversity is discussed in relation to four main processes: 1) reduction of risk impact, 2) reduction of negative chain reactions, 3) establishment and maintenance of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and 4) opening up of opportunities. The mechanisms operating at key turning points in people's lives must be given special attention.
A new method is presented, which enables extracting the pattern of social representations of an object from corpora in natural language "about" this object.
Interrogation of a source of common knowledge (a representative sample of a population, a dictionary, a set of articles or books), yields a corpus of linguistic statements concerning the object. In the case of individuals, an open question on free association (What comes comes to your mind about...?). In the case of dictionaries, the set of all definitions of synonyms and analogues of the word in question is used.
The corpus is then processed with a software that breaks up the corpus into statements (e. g. : sentences), and then makes a classification of those statements, on the basis of co-occurrence of lexical traits. Each class is considered as a basic nucleus of the representation, characterised by typical lexical traits. Multivariate analysis enables to represent the relationship of those nuclei and traits in a semantic space of connotations.
Demonstration of the method is presented on two corpuses about "eating", (1) coming from a survey using the free association technique on a 2000 sample representative of the French population, (2) 544 definitions of synonyms and analogues of "to eat" from a large dictionary. Results are quite similar on both corpuses ; they yield a very clear model of the social representation of "eating", which is coherent with the findings by qualitative methods in the literature.
The paper is based on a presentation at the 2nd International Conference on Social representations. Rio de janeiro, 1994. It can be downloaded on open access from the publisher's website.
To investigate strategies for broad mass isolation during outbreaks of infectious diseases.
A survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted on 300 printing company workers in Beijing, China, which was under mass isolation following the 2003 SARS outbreak, in the 7-8 months after the isolation was lifted.
Individuals with psychological disorders were classified on the basis of scores on the 30-item General Health Questionnaire during the recovery period. Psychological disorders were observed in 49 of 187 respondents (26.2%; 95% CI = 20.2, 32.7).
The predicting factor with the highest correlation was income reduction, with an odds ratio of 25.0. Other items obtained were gender, range of activities, eating restrictions, restrictions in going out, disinfection of clothing, and infection control, with odds ratios of 3.2, 5.5, 3.9, 3.2, 0.2, and 0.1, respectively, and the contribution ratio was 87.7%.
Securing income is suggested to be important in future strategies.
As a transmissible infectious disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was successfully contained globally by instituting widespread quarantine measures. Although these measures were successful in terminating the outbreak in all areas of the world, the adverse effects of quarantine have not previously been determined in a systematic manner. In this hypothesis-generating study supported by a convenience sample drawn in close temporal proximity to the period of quarantine, we examined the psychological effects of quarantine on persons in Toronto, Canada. The 129 quarantined persons who responded to a Web-based survey exhibited a high prevalence of psychological distress. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were observed in 28.9% and 31.2% of respondents, respectively. Longer durations of quarantine were associated with an increased prevalence of PTSD symptoms. Acquaintance with or direct exposure to someone with a diagnosis of SARS was also associated with PTSD and depressive symptoms.
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was unique because it was highly concentrated in health care settings and a large number of health care workers were infected. This study investigated stress reactions among 338 staff members in a hospital in East Taiwan that discontinued emergency and outpatient services to prevent possible nosocomial outbreak. Seventeen staff members (5 percent) suffered from an acute stress disorder; stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis determined that quarantine was the most related factor. Sixty-six staff members (20 percent) felt stigmatized and rejected in their neighborhood because of their hospital work, and 20 of 218 health care workers (9 percent) reported reluctance to work or had considered resignation.
This study examines a cohort of persons quarantined during the 2003 SARS outbreak in Canada and describes their understanding of, difficulties and compliance with, and the psychological impact of the quarantine experience. A mailed questionnaire was administered to 1912 eligible adults and included the Impact of Events Scale - Revised (IES-R) to assess symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Self-reported compliance with all required quarantine measures was low (15.8+/-2.3%), although significantly higher when the rationale for quarantine was understood (P=0.018). Health-care workers (HCW) experienced greater psychological distress, including symptoms of PTSD (P<0.001). Increasing perceived difficulty with compliance, HCW, longer quarantine and compliance with quarantine requirements were significant contributors to higher IES-R scores. The low compliance with quarantine requirements introduces concerns about the effectiveness of quarantine as a public health measure. Improvements in compliance and reduced psychological distress may be possible by minimizing duration, revising requirements, and providing enhanced education and support.
We first described the 2019 novel coronavirus infection in 10 children occurring in areas other than Wuhan. The coronavirus diseases in children are usually mild and epidemiological exposure is a key clue to recognize pediatric case. Prolonged virus shedding is observed in respiratory tract and feces at the convalescent stage.
The December, 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak has seen many countries ask people who have potentially come into contact with the infection to isolate themselves at home or in a dedicated quarantine facility. Decisions on how to apply quarantine should be based on the best available evidence. We did a Review of the psychological impact of quarantine using three electronic databases. Of 3166 papers found, 24 are included in this Review. Most reviewed studies reported negative psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. Stressors included longer quarantine duration, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma. Some researchers have suggested long-lasting effects. In situations where quarantine is deemed necessary, officials should quarantine individuals for no longer than required, provide clear rationale for quarantine and information about protocols, and ensure sufficient supplies are provided. Appeals to altruism by reminding the public about the benefits of quarantine to wider society can be favourable.
Many adults diagnosed with a life-threatening condition have children living at home; they and their partners face the dual challenge of coping with the diagnosis while trying to maintain a parenting role. Parents are often uncertain about how, when, and what to tell their children about the condition, and are fearful of the effect on their family. There is evidence that children are often aware that something is seriously wrong and want honest information. Health-care professionals have a key role in supporting and guiding parents and caregivers to communicate with their children about the diagnosis. However, the practical and emotional challenges of communicating with families are compounded by a scarcity of evidence-based guidelines. This Review considers children's awareness and understanding of their parents' condition, the effect of communication around parental life-threatening condition on their wellbeing, factors that influence communication, and the challenges to achieving effective communication. Children's and parents' preferences about communication are outlined. An expert workshop was convened to generate principles for health-care professionals, intended as practical guidance in the current absence of empirically derived guidelines.
When a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, one of the most challenging tasks facing health-care professionals is how to communicate this to the child, and to their parents or caregivers. Evidence-based guidelines are urgently needed for all health-care settings, from tertiary referral centres in high-income countries to resource limited environments in low-income and middle-income countries, where rates of child mortality are high. We place this Review in the context of children's developing understanding of illness and death. We review the effect of communication on children's emotional, behavioural, and social functioning, as well as treatment adherence, disease progression, and wider family relationships. We consider the factors that influence the process of communication and the preferences of children, families, and health-care professionals about how to convey the diagnosis. Critically, the barriers and challenges to effective communication are explored. Finally, we outline principles for communicating with children, parents, and caregivers, generated from a workshop of international experts.
Aims:
Exposure to infection is a risk for all healthcare workers. This risk acquires another dimension in an outbreak of highly contagious, lethal disease, such as the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014. Healthcare workers are usually well and correctly informed about the risks from such diseases, but family, neighbours, friends, or colleagues may react strongly to the risk that staff might bring infection home from an epidemic overseas. Research around such stigmatization is scarce. We wanted to investigate how common it is, which expressions it assumes and how it is influenced by dissemination of information.
Methods:
We interviewed a sample of Swedish healthcare workers who had worked in West Africa during the 2014 outbreak of Ebola, as well as one close contact for each of them, about reactions before leaving and after returning, and also about information received.
Results and conclusions:
The majority of contact persons reported no or little concern, neither when the healthcare worker revealed the plan to leave, nor on the healthcare worker's return. The prevailing reason was trust in the judgement of 'their' healthcare worker, mainly using information received from the healthcare worker to assess risks, and relying little on other information channels. This means that the person assessing the risk was at the same time the hazard. There were indications that instructions regarding quarantine and self-isolation were less stringently followed by healthcare workers than by other aid workers in the outbreak, which could give confusing signals to the public. Simple, clear and non-negotiable rules should be preferred - also from an information perspective.
American monetary policy is formulated by the Federal Reserve and overseen by Congress. Both policy making and oversight are deliberative processes, although the effect of this deliberation has been difficult to quantify. In this book, Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey provides a systematic examination of deliberation on monetary policy from 1976 to 2008 by the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee (FOMC) and House and Senate banking committees. Her innovative account employs automated textual analysis software to study the verbatim transcripts of FOMC meetings and congressional hearings; these empirical data are supplemented and supported by in-depth interviews with participants in these deliberations. The automated textual analysis measures the characteristic words, phrases, and arguments of committee members; the interviews offer a way to gauge the extent to which the empirical findings accord with the participants’ personal experiences.
Analyzing why and under what conditions deliberation matters for monetary policy, the author identifies several strategies of persuasion used by FOMC members, including Paul Volcker’s emphasis on policy credibility and efforts to influence economic expectations. Members of Congress, however, constrained by political considerations, show a relative passivity on the details of monetary policy.
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L'auteur est Max Reinert , et non A. Reinert comme indiqué par erreur sur l'article publié