Preventing and Appeasing COVID-19 Vaccine Tension in Schools to Protect the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents in Québec, Canada

Abstract

Objectives: This article describes an intervention that took place in Québec, Canada, to mitigate COVID-19 vaccine tension in schools, exacerbated by the 12-17 years old vaccination campaign. Building on this initiative, it proposes guiding principles for prevention and intervention in conflict around COVID-19 vaccination in and around schools.
 Intervention: Three complementary tools were developed by a community program, CoVivre, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team, to help practitioners and parents understand vaccine tensions and their impact on youth, and to suggest simple ways to prevent and intervene in vaccine related conflicts.
 Recommendations: A thorough research evaluation could not be performed due to the rapid crisis response; however, the tools received positive feedback by practitioners, institutions, and decision makers. Recommendations were structured around the following principles: (a) fostering transparent and nuanced health communications; (b) avoiding confrontation and refusing to escalate while strongly condemning criminal acts; (c) encouraging open dialogue; and (d) preserving relationships.
 Implications: Mental health consequences of public health interventions should be considered at inception to avoid collateral damages. Removing children from the heart of societal conflict and maintaining the family-school relationship is crucial to child development. It is imperative to engage interdisciplinary teams to protect youth from societal polarization, and provide an opportunity for growth and resilience. This initiative suggests that more research is needed on the impacts of encouraging an open dialogue around vaccination, and adopting an empathetic approach amongst youth towards others who may not share the same opinion.

Preference for online social interactions and support for violent radicalization among college and university students.

“…In addition, colleges and universities should promote both online and offline safe encounters among students to encourage networking and promote feelings of belonging and multiple valued affiliations, and address social tensions (Rousseau et al, 2022). Such strategies have been promoted during the pandemic by community organizations to address the conflicts and violence between people pro and against vaccination in the education system (Santavicca et al, 2022). To enhance solidarities, educational institutions can also create online forums where dialog opens the possibility to express strong, yet respectful, dissent.…”

“…To enhance solidarities, educational institutions can also create online forums where dialog opens the possibility to express strong, yet respectful, dissent. Although such initiatives are being developed and tested in some settings, ensuring safe enough online interactions remains challenging, given the absence of nonverbal cues which are essential for interpreting and reacting to the relational and emotional components of any interaction (Moonshot, 2022; Santavicca et al, 2022).…”

Teachers’ Psychological Distress and Work-Related Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Quebec (Canada)

“…Although scant, available evidence indicates that interpersonal conflicts are an important aspect of workplace stress among school staff and a risk factor for their well-being (Bruce et al, 2022; Hilger et al, 2021). In times of growing social polarization and diversity in schools (Ngov et al, 2021; Rousseau et al, 2022; Santavicca et al, 2022), the study of interpersonal conflicts becomes even more salient.…”