Psychological response of children to home confinement during COVID-19: A qualitative arts-based research

Abstract

Background: The evidence has shown that children are more susceptible to the emotional effects of traumatic events such as outbreaks with the possible disruption in their daily lives. Aim: In this paper, we discussed the psychological wellbeing of children during the COVID-19 outbreak through the art-based qualitative study using the drawing method among children in Iraqi Kurdistan. Methods: In this qualitative arts-based research study, 15 children aged 6 to 13 years old who were confined at home during the COVID-19 outbreak for at least 1 month were included following obtaining the consent from their parents. The children were asked to draw his/her feelings, reflections, and responses during the COVID-19 on a paper. The children were guided to paint their reflections during the COVID-19 based on the following criteria: if they experienced loneliness, tiredness, insomnia, depression, worry or anxiety, or have behavior changes and their relationship with their parents and other siblings. Results: This study showed that children have a high level of stress at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. The children had great fear about the coronavirus. They experienced loneliness and stress, and felt sad, depressed due to home confinement and social distancing. The possibility of infection by coronavirus has occupied their entire mind. Mental health care providers must take the experiences of children who are caught in this global pandemic seriously and ensure that appropriate care is offered to the children and their parents. Conclusions: The children exhibited a strong feeling of distress, loneliness, and fear during the COVID-19 outbreak. This has implications for mental health care.

Review: Mental health impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on children and youth – a systematic review

“…A majority of studies measured depressive symptoms as a mental health outcome. Of these, twenty‐five articles identified a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents during the pandemic compared to the prepandemic period (Abdulah et al., 2020 ; Breaux et al., 2021 ; Chen, Chen, et al., 2020 ; Crescentini et al., 2020 ; Duan et al., 2020 ; Ellis et al., 2020 ; Giannopoulou et al., 2021 ; Glynn et al., 2021 ; Gotlib et al., 2020 ; Janssen et al., 2020 ; Lee et al., 2021 ; Lu et al., 2020 ; Magson et al., 2021 ; Matovu et al., 2021 ; Oosterhoff et al., 2020 ; O’Sullivan et al., 2021 ; Rogers et al., 2021 ; Sama et al., 2021 ; Scott et al., 2021 ; Secer & Ulas, 2020 ; Xie et al., 2020 ; Zhang, Ye, et al., 2020 ; Zhang, Zhang, et al., 2020 ; Zhou, Yuan, et al., 2020 ; Zhou, Zhang, et al., 2020 ). In contrast, a small minority of studies detected a decrease in depressive symptoms (Ezpeleta et al., 2020 ; Tso et al., 2020 ; Xiang, Zhang, & Kuwahara, 2020 ).…”

“…Studies included in this review investigated additional outcomes related to mental health such as conduct problems and prosocial behaviors (Alonso‐Martínez et al., 2021 ; Cusinato et al., 2020 ; Ezpeleta et al., 2020 ; Gassman‐Pines et al., 2020 ; Luthar et al., 2020 ; Mallik & Radwan, 2021 ; Nonweiler et al., 2020 ; Romero et al., 2020 ; Spinelli, Lionetti, Pastore, & Fasolo, 2020 ; Tso et al., 2020 ; Wiguna et al., 2020 ), attention deficits and hyperactivity (Cusinato et al., 2020 ; Mallik & Radwan, 2021 ; Nonweiler et al., 2020 ; Ravens‐Sieberer et al., 2021 ; Spinelli, Lionetti, Pastore, et al., 2020 ; Tso et al., 2020 ; Wiguna et al., 2020 ; Zhang, Shuai, et al., 2020 ), loneliness (Abdulah et al., 2020 ; Esposito et al., 2020 ; Rogers et al., 2021 ; Sciberras et al., 2020 ), anger (Patra et al., 2020 ; Sama et al., 2021 ), positive and negative affect (Janssen et al., 2020 ; Rogers et al., 2021 ), grief (Murata et al., 2021 ), somatic symptoms (Crescentini et al., 2020 ), eating problems (Alamrawy et al., 2021 ), and substance use (Dumas et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Contact‐restriction procedures such as physical and social distancing were the most frequently reported control measures. Many studies reported the occurrence of negative emotions or mental health deterioration due to COVID‐19 pandemic control measures (Abdulah et al., 2020 ; Adibelli & Sumen, 2020 ; Alshahrani et al., 2020 ; Amran, 2020 ; Cacioppo et al., 2020 ; Esposito et al., 2020 ; Evans et al., 2020 ; Fitzpatrick et al., 2020 ; Gadermann et al., 2021 ; Giannopoulou et al., 2021 ; Glynn et al., 2021 ; Gotlib et al., 2020 ; Idoiaga et al., 2020 ; Magson et al., 2021 ; Mallik & Radwan, 2021 ; Masi et al., 2021 ; Munasinghe et al., 2020 ; O’Sullivan et al., 2021 ; Ravens‐Sieberer et al., 2020 , 2021 ; Ren et al., 2021 ; Rogers et al., 2021 ; Sama et al., 2021 ; Saurabh & Ranjan, 2020 ; Sciberras et al., 2020 ; Scott et al., 2021 ; Shah et al., 2021 ; Theis et al., 2021 ; Mi Xiang, Zhang, et al., 2020 ; Yeasmin et al., 2020 ; Zorcec et al., 2020 ). For instance, 71% of surveyed German youth reported feeling burdened by measures reducing social contact during the pandemic (Ravens‐Sieberer et al., 2020 ).…”

“…For instance, 71% of surveyed German youth reported feeling burdened by measures reducing social contact during the pandemic (Ravens‐Sieberer et al., 2020 ). Specifically, children and adolescents were unhappy about lower levels of in‐person interaction resulting in a sense that their relationships with others were deteriorating (Alshahrani et al., 2020 ; Amran, 2020 ; Cacioppo et al., 2020 ; Esposito et al., 2020 ; Ravens‐Sieberer et al., 2021 ; Rogers et al., 2021 ; Scott et al., 2021 ; Shah et al., 2021 ), cancelation of in‐person activities and events (Abdulah et al., 2020 ; Esposito et al., 2020 ; Evans et al., 2020 ; O’Sullivan et al., 2021 ; Scott et al., 2021 ; Shah et al., 2021 ), not enough time outside (Idoiaga et al., 2020 ; Rogers et al., 2021 ), and too much family time (Rogers et al., 2021 ; Yeasmin et al., 2020 ). However, more lenient COVID‐19 pandemic control policies were also found to be cross‐sectionally associated with greater internalizing and externalizing problems in children and adolescents (Fitzpatrick et al., 2020 ).…”

Медіапрактики І Здоров'я Дітей: Сучасні Виклики Діагностики

“…Москва: Litres. Abdulah, D. M., Abdulla, B. M. O., & Liamputtong, P. (2020). Psychological response of children to home confinement during COVID-19: A qualitative arts-based research.…”