August 12, 2020
Q: When do you think the United States will return to a semblance of normal, if you could predict it?
A: Compared to other large and diverse countries, the U.S. is unique in that every state can devise its own policy, which means you are seeing 52 different experiments happening in the same county.
Some states, like Massachusetts, have done remarkably well, but others have not, and it comes down to variations in state policies.
All this is to say that it’s difficult to predict when normalcy will return to the country as a whole.
Julie Healy, head of programmes at Barnardos NI, said: “With the new term on the horizon, schools are preparing to continue their learning in a changed environment and we must act on this opportunity to put children’s mental health at the heart of education.”
She said for many children, school is their lifeline, their safe space, and going back to school will offer vital support.
“Schools cannot take on this challenge alone though, and support and guidance from our Government will be crucial,” Ms Healy said.
“Based on the findings of our survey, we’re calling for the mental health and well being of pupils to be prioritised in the recovery curriculum.
“We’d also like to see clear, child-centred guidance developed in consultation with schools, and increased investment for mental health support in schools.” – PA
..In the current national survey conducted in the U.S., the investigators aimed to determine how the pandemic and related quarantine efforts affected the emotional and physical well-being of children and parents in the U.S. through early June. They administered the survey to parents with children younger than 18 years on changes in their health, insurance status, childcare, use of public food assistance resource, food security and use of health care services since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results showed 27% of parents reported worsening mental health for themselves, and 14% reported worsening behavioral health for their children since March. Before vs. after March, the proportion of families with moderate or severe food insecurity increased from 6% to 8%, employer-sponsored insurance coverage of children decreased from 63% to 60% and 24% of parents reported losing regular childcare. Further, parental worsening mental health occurred along with worsening child behavioral health for children in nearly one in 10 families. Of these families, 48% reported loss of regular childcare, 16% reported insurance status change and 11% reported worsening food security…
With extended parental depression, says Dr Briggs, “Even toddlers themselves can become depressed. They may show changes in eating, sleeping and engagement. One of the most wonderful toddler characteristics is their glee in everything we put in front of them. A sign of concern would be if their affect is blunting,” she explains.
Of course, these are simply areas of concern. The extended impact of COVID-19 isolation will depend on how long it lasts, and how families and clinicians respond to this period…
The bottom line? Just like Dr Briggs, Dr Fink says much of the work here falls on parents. “As we do it, our kids will do it. We must acknowledge that it’s really hard. We’re sad and mad. But we can also figure out ways to do things differently. And that’s a good starting point.”
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