Introduction
Whilst it appears that the tsunami of infection caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has abated, the aftershock of the virus can still be felt reverberating in its many ongoing repercussions, particularly amongst the youngest members of society. Children were especially vulnerable to the impact of Covid-19, because it highlighted the fragility of human life at a time in their lives when they ought reasonably not to have had to become preoccupied with their own mortality… whilst the relentless onslaught of the disease simultaneously demonstrated the relative powerlessness of humanity to collectively respond quickly enough, to resist the global illness. As a result, many people died, leaving children to mourn the loss of parents and grandparents. Nowhere seemed safe. Everyone was at risk.
The Impact of Covid-19 on Children’s Perceptions
It’s a documented fact that children are more at risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after experiencing trauma, though it has also been noted that amongst children who receive good family support, the risks of developing PTSD are significantly reduced.
Whilst children were far more likely than adults to have asymptomatic forms of Covid-19, protecting them from the worst of the disease, the psychological pressures upon children were none-the-less severe. Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stated to MPs on the Education Select Committee, at a time when schools were being closed, en masse, “When we close schools we close their lives”.
In most cases this was true, though it has been noted that amongst children who faced bullying at school, the closures were more likely to have been perceived as a source of relief. Facts such as these remind us that we must not run the risk of overgeneralising the impacts of Covid-19 upon a homogenous group of young people defined as ‘children’, when in reality, whilst there may be instances of overlap and similarity within the larger group, we must nevertheless remember that each child is an individual who experiences life in a unique way. Children from well-adjusted families with good economic circumstances are likely to have coped better than those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with troubled home lives. When we recall the evidence from PTSD research which shows the benefits of parental support in protecting against ongoing psychological distress, we see too, how positive parenting protects against the worst impact of Covid-19.
Given the tumultuous events that were unfolding around them, children had to cope with abrupt changes in schooling, potentially unsettling alterations in their daily routines, less exercise, boredom and more. It’s encouraging to see that the evidence suggests today’s young people are, on the whole, quite resilient. Where problems increased, they were, sadly, in many cases, due to preexisting difficulties, such as home abuse, which increased due to lockdown.
A Child’s View
Given the wide-reaching impact of Covid-19 we might wonder how children perceived and processed the changes happening around them? Fortunately, we don’t have to guess, because Jill Thompson PhD, Grace Spencer PhD, and Penny Curtis PhD conducted research on this subject, which revealed that children viewed Covid-19 as a deadly contagion (one child, called Ray, described the virus as a monster, killing people), which resulted in an increase in personal fears and sadness. The research also noted though, that children had a sense of social responsibility to the situation and wanted to respond positively.
Immediate Psychological Responses
While we’ve noted above, that each child managed the impact of Covid-19 in their own way, depending upon the level of support they received from caregivers, we are nevertheless able to recognise some common problematic issues experienced amongst large numbers of children. They include a pervasive fear of Covid-19 (we recall Ray’s murderous ‘monster’ description, for example), sleep disruption, increased levels of anxiety, feelings of social isolation, boredom and restlessness, caused by an inability to experience adequate exercise.
All of these problems, in most cases can be addressed by good support, from parents and caregivers. Whilst there is no ‘instant fix’, of course, to the grief caused by the loss of a loved one, to Covid-19, supporting a child through the loss, in an empathic, sensitive way can help, in most cases, for the experience to be processed in the best possible way (which might include counselling).
Where sleep disruption exists, for instance, uncovering the cause of the insomnia can help. Whilst amongst those children who have maintained a fear of the threat of Covid-19, or of pandemics in general, a discussion on the subject of the value of vaccines might help to allay underlying fears. Likewise, when known, the cause of generalised anxieties can be discussed, when not known Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Focussing’ method can be employed to address the feeling and the undefined ‘felt experience’, in order to release it.
There is a wealth of evidence to demonstrate that immediate psychological responses do not have to become permanent psychological responses, because with the right kind of care and support issues can be addressed, for healing to occur. This means that, we do not lack the capacity to help children recover. We should, as always, primarily identify those in need, in order to provide the necessary support. This is a universal problem, because some children, for various reasons, including a misplaced sense of shame, or due to a debilitating feeling of embarrassment, or an instilled perception of weakness (called ‘learned helplessness’), keep things to themselves.
We must, therefore, be especially perceptive ourselves to recognise not only those children who need help and ask for it, but also those who need help but don’t ask.
Those who don’t receive help are at risk of developing the sort of complications that transform immediate psychological responses into permanent psychological responses. This is why we must all be vigilant to the needs of each child. Awareness is a skill that can help lead to a positive outcome, for every child in need.
Worldwide Temple of Aurora 