Children’s Well-Being And Distance Learning During Pandemics Covid-19

How has COVID-19 and distance learning affected the wellbeing of children?

Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Children

According to Liu et al. (2020), COVID-19 has compelled families to live in quarantine and isolation, a reality that is likely to affect the wellbeing of children. Particularly, many children do not have prior experience of dealing with social distancing and isolation. The health directives regarding quarantine, isolation, and social distancing have disrupted the normal lives of children. Many of the children lack proper coping mechanisms to deal with the new realities. Wang et al. (2020) are of the view that it is time to take measures to address the adverse effects of home confinement on children. Specifically, the closure of schools has obligated children to remain within the home settings, an aspect that is likely to affect the mental health. Specifically, confinement at home reduces their social interactions as well as the amount of time spent on physical activities. Such changes are likely to affect their mental health. Silva Junior et al. (2020) explored the specific mental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and adults. The study revealed that COVID-19 has the potential to compromise the mental wellbeing of young people. Courtney et al. (2020) revealed that COVID-19 has the potential to predispose children to anxiety and depression. The evidence from this study relied on the available psychiatric studies on how disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic can make children and young people highly vulnerable to the development of anxiety and depression. In the view of this study, depression and anxiety represent the leading mental disorders that are highly prevalent among children and youth. These disorders compromise the mental functioning of children and result in adverse health effects.

Xie et al. (2020) provided evidence from a study that analyzed the mental health status of children in home confinement in China. Based on this study, it was apparent that the children were likely to exhibit anxiety-related disorders, depressive symptoms, constant worry, as well as pessimism due to the limited outdoor activities and reduced social interaction due to home confinement. Idoiaga et al. (2020) focused on identifying the social and emotional representations of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from the study demonstrated that children have a constant worry of contracting the Coronavirus and infecting their family members. As a result, many children are exhibiting conflicting emotions that range from being scared to sadness, boredom, anger, and loneliness. The study concluded that it is imperative to establish measures of addressing the psychological, social, educational, as well as the social wellbeing of children during COVID-19. Dalton et al. (2020) place emphasis on the need to protect the psychological wellbeing of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is possible to initiate informative conversations as a way of reassuring children of their safety and the measures in place to reduce the cases of infection.

Jiao et al. (2020) paid attention to the behavioral and emotional disorders that have become prevalent among children due to their reactions to the pandemic. Children are experiencing multiple uncertainties and fears that are likely to result in extreme psychological distress that may translate to post-traumatic stress disorder after the pandemic. Varshney et al. (2020) agree that COVID-19 has registered a psychological impact on communities, an aspect that demonstrates adverse effects on children. Based on this study in the Indian community, the younger age was more vulnerable to experiencing a higher psychological impact. Yoshikawa et al. (2020) paid attention to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood development. The study revealed that children are likely to register both short-term and long-term adverse effects due to the pandemic. Some of the effects will include cognitive and socioemotional consequences that will have an impact on the overall wellbeing of children. Such effects will compromise the mental health of children in different phases of their development.

Distance Learning and the Wellbeing of Children during COVID-19 Pandemic

Dong et al. (2020) paid attention to the perspectives of parents towards the online learning of young children during COVID-19 pandemic. Parents may develop significant concerns regarding the effectiveness of online learning as a replacement for face-to-face learning. The adoption of online learning presents unique challenges for young children because it alters the learning environment and other factors that influence effective learning. Chiodini (2020) explored the realities of online learning during COVID-19. The compulsion of children to embrace online learning has presented multiple challenges due to the resulting variations in the learning environment. Mukhtar et al. (2020) revealed the challenges associated with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the study focused on university students, the challenges of adopting online learning modalities are evident across different students. Children are likely to be more vulnerable to experiencing the challenges of online learning during the pandemic.

Other Effects of COVID-19 on the Wellbeing of Children

Klein et al. (2020) reveals that children are likely to experience adverse health outcomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increased risk of children with underlying comorbidities is evident based on the evidence in this article. As a result, providing support to the wellbeing of children is imperative. Rabinowicz et al. (2020) highlighted the health effects of COVID-19 and the presentation of the virus in young children. The evidence provided by these authors reveals the potential burden of the disease in young children that may affect other dimensions of their wellbeing. Sinha et al. (2020) reveal that children have been sidelined during the development of effective interventions that will help different patient populations in dealing with COVID-19 effects. The sidelining of children predisposes them to more complexities that are likely to compromise their overall wellbeing due to the lack of early interventions.

Goldschmidt (2020) is cognizant of the need to provide further support to children as a way of reducing the potential adverse outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Duan's et al. (2020) study conducted in China revealed that children were likely to exhibit more depressive symptoms if they live in urban areas, are female, and embark on the emotion-focused coping style. Similarly, the study demonstrated that children were more prone to developing smartphone and internet addiction as a sign of depression. Király et al. (2020) further revealed that children are prone to problematic internet use due to the multiple factors associated with the COVID-19 reality. As a result, it is imperative to work with children and protect them from the various forms of addiction. Racine et al. (2020) revealed that COVID-19 has introduced new realities regarding the risk of mental health illnesses among children and adolescents. Particularly, children who lack adequate information regarding the pandemic are more prone to depressive symptoms as well as those living in the highly infected areas. Children in cities have experienced greater depressive symptoms due to the fear of infection.