COVID-19 has taken a substantial toll on the mental health of people. From children to adolescents, there have been considerable repercussions in terms of mental health during COVID-19. There is no wonder in accepting that children are the most affected category amidst the pandemic. Many factors like social distancing, house arrest, limited interaction, lack of physical activity, and online schooling have affected their analytical ability to a large extent. As a parent, it is important for you to understand how to cope with your child’s mental health during COVID-19 and ensure that they are not affected.
An emotionally healthy child can be active and respond well to situations. Mental health plays a vital role in their growth. A child may not express their anxiety about the situation. Keeping the pandemic in mind, there is an urgent need to keep a constant check on your child’s mental health and the factors that affect them. There are ways to build better communication to bring the child out of such anxious situations. In this article, we have discussed mental health during COVID-19, signs your child may need support.
In This Article
- A Rise in Mental Health Emergencies During COVID-19
- How is Your Child Coping?
- Recognizing the Signs of Stress in Your Child
- How Your Pediatrician Can Help?
- FAQ’s
A Rise in Mental Health Emergencies During COVID-19
Considering the pandemic, there is a significant rise in mental health emergencies. Children and adolescents fall in the first place. Study shows that there have been many unintended actions observed by almost half of the parents in their children during the time of lockdowns. Prolonged exposure to lockdown increased their anxiety regarding numerous things. Uncertainty about normalcy and fear of losing their loved ones has affected many parents and children. Parents hold a major role in keeping children calm during such situations.
COVID has claimed many lives, and the uncertainty it created is devouring. The chaos it created globally by claiming the lives of their close relatives or primary caregivers has affected children the most. A study claims that over 12 lakh children lost at least one parent during the pandemic (March 2020 – April 2021). Around 15 lakh children in total have either lost a close relative or a parent during the pandemic. According to a global report based on the year 2020-2021, around 87% of students are impacted due to the sudden drop in educational facilities. This led to extreme distress in younger children, who well knew the situation and felt vulnerable about it. Pandemic has been a kind of situation that opened doors for suicidal thoughts in younger children and adolescents.
[Read : Depression In Children]
How is Your Child Coping?
As a parent, you need to be proactive. Your quick actions can help your child come out of depressive thoughts. Ensure a regular check on how your child is coping with situations like online schooling and other considerable changes that COVID-19 has brought.
1. Toddlers
Toddler parents count as one of the most affected groups during the pandemic. As they can neither understand the situation nor tolerate the restriction. With their increased tantrums, parents tend to lose their emotional balance. It is important to deal with such situations with poise and patience. A regular watch on their actions and spending some quality time with them can regress their tantrums. It will help them cope and come out of such situations before getting trapped.
2. Young Children
Young children fall into a category where they are bewildered yet aware of the situation. It is the predictability and hope that keeps them active and waiting for the next day. Since the pandemic stole that, you may observe a different behaviour which is evidence of the anxiety and stress they experience. Because of the many unanswered questions, it is the behaviour that gets affected. As a parent, it can be an emotional roller coaster for you.
Help Your Young Child Cope
- Make sure about these things on how they are coping with the situation.
- Give them your time, listen to the stories they want to narrate. They would badly need a person to listen to them.
- Answer their questions about the pandemic and other normal things with utmost patience.
- Give them confidence about their health and their family’s health.
- Help them understand how things are still working amidst the abnormal pandemic.
- Appreciate their efforts in understanding an online class and other online tutorials.
- Tell them they are doing well. Do not try to restrict everything they do.
- Watch out for one skill that they are interested in. Encourage them in that.
- Enroll them in activities that capture their interest.
- Sit and search for any tutorials available for that particular skill. This can bring a ray of confidence in them and can also be reassuring.
- Keep them engaged with stories that they need to listen to.
- Involve them in household activities.
3. Adolescents
A category where they are grownups and yet child at heart in some situations. With the pandemic stealing their focus, certain changes are observable yet sensitive to deal with. Provide them with an environment that is reassuring. They might not pose a question but expect a discussion. Sit and discuss with them how they can manage their time in being productive. Appreciate their efforts in understanding the situation and helping them deal with anxiety. This is an age where they can neither express nor suffer. Ignorance can lead to unpleasant behaviour and that may fall as a pattern.
Recognizing the Signs of Stress in Your Child
Stress leads to indifferent behaviour in children. Ignorance can be harmful, and the parents might need to suffer the long-term outcome. It is important to watch your child’s behaviour and act accordingly. This can help you avoid certain situations that can be overwhelming.
Certain significant changes that can lead to stress and anxiety are.
- Changes in their routine.
- Staying disconnected with friends and close relatives.
- A continuous phobia linked to tiny mistakes in staying hygienic.
- Restrictions for casual walking or playing time with other kids.
- Inability to attend events.
- Social distancing and the phobia of contracting the virus.
- Changes in academic structures.
- Inability to accept the new learning pattern (online classes).
- Fear of losing concentration and their hold on studies. This happens due to the lack of ability to understand online classes because of the chaos.
- Dread of losing a loved one or listening to the death of a close relative with COVID.
- Fear of quarantine and isolation.
Signs of Stress Seen in Infants, Toddlers, and Young children
Infants may not experience any signs of distress as they are always in the same environment. Parents with newborns are at the verge of risk, as they will be under postpartum pressure and depression. Pandemic aiding such circumstances results in loss of emotional balance in new parents. This may affect the whole family, leading to panic. It is important to keep a check on your mental health if you have an infant or a newborn at home during the pandemic.
Signs of stress in toddlers and young children include
- A significant change in their eating habits, like overeating or loss of appetite.
- Falling sick often with anxiety and fear.
- Indigestion, vomiting, and nausea.
- Increased intensity of tantrums.
- Losing interest in regular activities.
- Loss of sleep or oversleep out of fear and anxiety.
- Change in behavior like a calm child behaving aggressively. An active child becoming lethargic.
- Unable to catch up with regular classes.
- Loss of memory and staying disinterested in school-related works.
- Crying, or raising a frequent quarrel with siblings.
- Constant questioning about the wellbeing of their loved ones.
It can be extremely challenging to cope with anxious kids amidst the pandemic. Parents must maintain calm to cope with the situation. Young children to adolescents may still understand the situation and go through the stress.
Signs of Stress Seen in Adolescents
It is very important to keep a check on teenagers on how their routine is impacted because of the stress.
- They may suddenly behave indifferently to certain predictable situations.
- An extrovert is unusually calm and stays detached.
- Losing focus on studies.
- Existing mental health conditions are exacerbated because of the ongoing stress.
An already existing risk of a mental health crisis for the children of this generation has increased in the gap of the pandemic. Do not ignore certain symptoms that surface often and bother you. Ensure to talk and discuss their problems. By recognizing the above-discussed symptoms early, you can save your child from unwanted stress.
How Your Pediatrician Can Help?
Behavioural changes in children will be due to the considerable amount of stress they are sustaining. Doctors or pediatricians can be of immense help during such situations. It is vital to stay in touch with them during this pandemic. You may observe sudden behavioral changes in your children due to the restrictions they are facing. Toddlers and younger children may not express themselves but can slowly start showing the symptoms of the distress they are experiencing. Children with pre-existing mental health problems are more vulnerable to experiencing pandemic anxiety than normal children. Staying in touch with your doctor may reduce your emotional burden.
Pediatricians can help by checking children who suffer from fear and anxiety during the pandemic. They may ask questions like how the child is accepting the series of changes that are occurring during the pandemic. They may professionally counsel the child to build reassurance. Regular calls with your doctor may help your child stay out of anxiety and distress.
Questions Your Doctor May Ask You or Your Child
Here are some questions for which your doctor may look for answers when trying to help you child help with sudden anxiety and mental breakdown include:
- Symptoms of stress and anxiety they are experiencing.
- If there is any other problem that is bothering them.
- Whether they can accept the mandatory new educational changes.
- If there is any family member that experienced COVID and if that is bothering them.
They may also help them understand the intensity of the fear that the pandemic is creating and about how staying responsible can cause little problems. Discussing directly with the doctor can help the child cope with the situation with a proper understanding.
COVID-19 is a pandemic that has changed so many things for us. No wonder children go through so many various emotions that they never even knew existed. This new thing to handle may throw the parents into the well of emotional stress. Staying proactive and calming yourself can help you handle the situation. It is vital to keep screening your children for their behaviour. Any unusual emotional outburst should be taken to the notice of the doctor. Pediatricians can help deal with and improve your child’s mental health during COVID-19.
FAQ’s
1. How do I Know That my Child is Emotionally Down During a Pandemic?
As a parent, you should always observe your child’s behaviour. As we are aware that the pandemic is a big blow for us, children remain the most affected category of all. They surface their distress in their behaviour. Talking to your pediatrician can help reassure your child about the future.
2. What Are the Symptoms That a Child Shows of Psychological Breakdown During a Pandemic?
Children may not be able to express their fear but cannot hide their mental health issues. Symptoms that indicate a mental breakdown include
- Loss of appetite or overeating than their usual appetite.
- Unusual sleeping patterns.
- Feeling nauseated, vomiting, and feeling fatigued.
- Prolonged failure in concentration on studies.
- Constant complaints about the academic structure.
- Prolonged screen time.
3. How Should I Cope With My Distressed Child During a Pandemic?
Taking out some time to listen to them can help to a large extent. Help them get through the new and unknown changes they are facing, changes like online schooling and online examinations. Encourage them in one or the other skill that they adore. Involve them in household activities. Appreciate their help. Answer their questions about the pandemic with patience. Reassure them about their and their family’s health.
Read Also: 6 Parenting Challenges During Covid-19 – Tips to Cope with Them by Dr Chetan Ginigeri
