How the COVID-19 contingency affects children

Abstract

Background: Due to the pandemic, children are undergoing many changes in their daily lives. Methods: We analyzed how parents perceive the effects of the contingency on their children through an online survey shared by digital media for 7 days. Results: We obtained 4000 responses. The most frequent difficulty of the children was online homeschooling (30.4%), followed by sleeping disorders (20.3%). The use of screens increased 30-80% in over 65% of children. Tantrum was detected in 34% and mood swings in 30% of children. The majority of parents (77.8%) considered that distance education does not guarantee children's education and that the level of learning acquired through online classes is not the same as that of face-to-face education (83.5%). In contrast, 70.6% of parents considered that it is not yet time to reopen schools, 78.8% believed that there is sufficient evidence to keep them closed, and 45% indicated that it is better not to return to campus this year. Regarding activities to improve mental health during the contingency, 51.3% have created home games, and 23.6% perform physical activity. However, 74.4% do not have the peace of mind to restart daily life. Among the positive aspects of the contingency, adaptability (35%) and family union (33.5%) were reported. Conclusions: Health professionals in contact with children must be prepared for the problems that this contingency is generating and sensitize parents to observe their children and seek professional help on any alarm data on the emotional or behavioral state of the child.

An observatory on changes in dreaming during a pandemic: a living systematic review (part 1)

“…The NF was assessed by two studies as part of the PTSD symptomatology (Currie, 2021 ; Jiang et al, 2020 ) and as an independent index of psychological distress in adults, adolescences, and children in three studies (Ferraro et al, 2021 ; Musse et al, 2020 ; Reséndiz‐Aparicio, 2021 ). In a further 12 studies it was considered as an index of sleep impairment and poor sleep quality (Dondi et al, 2021 ; Goncalves et al, 2022 ; Goweda et al, 2020 ; Lin, Lin, et al, 2021 ; Parrello et al, 2021 ; Partinen et al, 2021 ; Pérez‐Carbonell et al, 2020 ; Petrov et al, 2021 ; Ramos Socarras et al, 2021 ; Scarpelli, Gorgoni, et al, 2022 ; Scarpelli, Nadorff, et al, 2022 ; Scarpelli, Alfonsi, et al, 2022 ; Schlarb et al, 2020 ), whereas in seven studies it was considered as a dreaming life phenomenon (Guerrero‐Gomez et al, 2021 ; Holzinger et al, 2021 ; Kennedy et al, 2021 ; Kilius et al, 2021 ; Pesonen et al, 2020 ; Scarpelli, Alfonsi, Gorgoni, et al, 2021 ; Scarpelli, Alfonsi, Mangiaruga, et al, 2021 ); five studies overlap nightmares with bad or threatening dreams, focusing attention on the content component (Guo & Shen, 2021 ; Iqbal et al, 2021 ; Korukcu et al, 2022 ; Solomonova et al, 2021 ; Yasmin et al, 2021 ); one study considered nightmares as a symptom of COVID‐19‐related stress (Taylor et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Children also surfaced as a group with an altered NF in three studies (Bruni, Malorgio, et al, 2021 ; Ferraro et al, 2021 ; Reséndiz‐Aparicio, 2021 ). Younger adults, unlike adolescence, were also associated with an increase in NF and negative emotions (eight studies) (Conte et al, 2022 ; Goncalves et al, 2022 ; Mariani, Monaco, et al, 2021 ; Musse et al, 2020 ; Ramos Socarras et al, 2021 ; Scarpelli, Alfonsi, et al, 2022 ; Scarpelli, Alfonsi, Gorgoni, et al, 2021 ; Scarpelli, Gorgoni, et al, 2022 ; Scarpelli, Nadorff, et al, 2022 ; Sommantico et al, 2021 ), DRF (four studies) (Fränkl et al, 2021 ; Gorgoni et al, 2021 ; Scarpelli, Alfonsi, Gorgoni, et al, 2021 ; Schredl & Bulkeley, 2020 ), and COVID‐19‐related dream frequency (Guerrero‐Gomez et al, 2021 ).…”

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic’s Effect on Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Analysis of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service

“…Parents also noticed the disruption that the pandemic's social isolation had on their children. An online survey in Mexico with 4,000 responses analyzed how parents perceived the beginning of the pandemic's disruption on their children, namely changes in children's emotional state, learning, and behavior [19]. Parents specifically recognized behavior problems, sleeping disorders, and problems with online homeschooling.…”

“…Parents specifically recognized behavior problems, sleeping disorders, and problems with online homeschooling. Behavioral problems ranged from difficulty in sibling or parental relationships to tantrums [19]. 83.5% of parents in the survey agreed that "the level of learning acquired through online classes was not the same as that of face-to-face" [19].…”

Limitaciones de la psicomotricidad en la etapa preescolar durante el COVID-19

“…Esta situación preocupó a los padres de familia por las implicancias a futuro con respecto al desarrollo social de sus hijos (Stites et al, 2021), el encierro provocaron dificultades psicológicas, que se manifestaron en su salud mental y física (Abufhele y Jeannere;De Laia Almeida et al, 2021) incrementándose los casos de insomnio y dolores de cabezas, la pandemia exacerbo también condiciones de enfermedades pre existentes afectando en los niños (Palacio-Ortiz et al, 2020), es muy alta la probabilidad de las escuelas psicológica que dejará en ellos la inmovilización obligatoria, si las afecciones mentales no son tratadas a tiempo en los niños podrán tener consecuencias en el futuro (Reséndiz-Aparicio, 2021).…”