Protecting the psychological health of children through effective communication about COVID-19

23 February 2021 3 mins read The Uk Trauma Council Health Mental health Mental Health Coronavirus

In this brief commentary, Dalton and colleagues set out the rationale for providing and prioritising communication with young people about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Adults should be honest with children about the threat posed by the pandemic. Picture: Daisy Daisy/Adobe Stock

Dalton, L., Rapa, E., & Stein, A.
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (2020)

Sensitive and age-appropriate conversations about life-threatening illness have a known positive impact on young people’s long-term wellbeing. When accurate and transparent information on changes within the family is missing, children may try to make sense of circumstances on their own. But, inaccurate or partial knowledge can lead to excessively negative interpretations of the pandemic and the family situation.

The authors also argue that children and young people are highly attuned to their carer’s mental states. Thus, being exposed to behaviours and emotions that may seem unexplained or unpredictable, may increase young people’s anxiety and sense of threat. Conversely, unfiltered and age-inappropriate communication may lead to self-blame or unrealistic feelings. For instance, a young child may believe that an illness is a punishment for previous bad behaviour. Also, an absence of emotion-focused conversations might leave children anxious about the emotional state of the adults around them. This anxiety can result in children’s avoidance of voicing their worries, leaving children to cope with difficult feelings alone.

The authors recommend that adults should be honest about some of the uncertainty and threat posed by the pandemic without overwhelming young people with their fears. This authentic stance offers a coherent narrative for what young people are observing while also opening the space for talking about their own emotions and thoughts.

Research Round Up Covid-19|2020, UKTC

MORE STUDIES

Child and adolescent mental health amidst emergencies and disasters

Danese, A., Smith, P., Chitsabesan, P., & Dubicka, B.
The British Journal of Psychiatry (2019)

Danese and colleagues argue that the needs of the community can overshadow young people’s mental health at times of emergencies and crises, despite their wellbeing being often affected the most.

Besides suffering traumatic experiences, young people may lose fundamental resilience factors. These include support from carers, family members, friends and the social and statutory infrastructure that, during normal times, monitors and safeguards their wellbeing and safety.

The commentary aims to inform best practise in the realms of emergency preparedness, fostering resilience and response/treatment. Suggested future directions include training staff (before emergencies occur) in the assessment and treatment of trauma-related psychological difficulties, timely screening and co-ordination with local institutions (e.g. schools), and care provision at different levels (e.g. prevention, acute interventions, long-term monitoring).

The authors also highlight practical ways in which childhood and adolescent mental health services can play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of emergencies and crises among young people.

Research Round Up Covid-19|2020, UKTC

Increased risk for family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic

Humphreys, K. L., Myint, M. T., & Zeanah, C. H.
Pediatrics (2020)

This commentary highlights how social distancing and isolation, despite their public health benefits in the context of the current pandemic, can lead to an increase in family and interpersonal violence.

This commentary by Humphreys and colleagues highlights how social distancing and isolation, despite their public health benefits in the context of the current pandemic, can lead to an increase in family and interpersonal violence.

The authors make recommendations for how clinicians can identify instances of abuse during patient interactions. Such future directions include making violence part of any assessment, enquiring about family stress levels, substance abuse, co-parenting relationships and available support.

The authors also developed a set of practical recommendation that clinicians can make to parents. Clinician, for example, can help parents recognise and normalise feelings of anger, stress and irritability associated with the demands posed by childcare.

Also, parents can be helped to understand that a surge in children’s challenging behaviours can be a developmentally normal response in the current circumstances.

The authors also recommend that the use of consistent routines, including wake-up, bed, and meal times to provide structure for both children and parents.

Research Round Up Covid-19|2020, UKTC

The UK Trauma Council (UKTC) creates evidence-based resources to improve professionals and carers’ understanding of the nature and impact of trauma. The council is made up of a group of leading experts from a variety of disciplines representing children’s health and wellbeing organisations and hosted by the Anna Freud Centre. It aims to better equip all those supporting children and young people exposed to trauma.

The UKTC produces a quarterly research round up series to bridge the gap between academic researchers and busy professionals. These brief summaries are drawn from UKTC research briefings published in 2020. They are licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0.