Anjani Amladi
Covid-19 has presented children, families, and the medical community with unique challeges due to the unprecedented nature of this disease and its impact on daily life. This presentation will address burnout in each of these populations and will discuss ways in which to address the pervasive anxiety experienced by these groups in this current climate.
As COVID-19 pandemic continues to expand in India and in the world, only one thing is certain: the current outbreak will have profound impact not only in the health and economic situation, but also on the psychosocial well-being of societies across nations. The impacts will be felt differently among different population groups. Among these, one group will face additional challenges to understand, absorb, and deal with the changes that COVID-19 are bringing to our world: the children In the current context of lock down and restriction of movements, children have constrained access to socialization, play, and even physical contact, critical for their psychosocial wellbeing and development. School closures are preventing children from access to learning and limiting their interactions with peers. Children may feel confused and at loss with the current situation, leading to frustration and anxiety, which will only increase with the overexposure to mass and social media, specially among adolescents. Some adults may struggle to find ways to explain and communicate with children about the current situation in a way that is understandable by this age group, which will add frustration and disquietude. COVID-19 is also bringing new stressors on parent and caregivers. This can hamper their capacity to provide care and remain engaged with their children. Being very keen observers of people and environments, children will notice, absorb and react to the stress in their caregivers and community members, which unavoidably will affect their well-being. And the above is only the beginning. Levels of stress will be exponentially higher among vulnerable families. For children who are deprived of parental care in Child Care Institutions or in alternative care, children living in the streets, or children migrants and on the move, for example, the situation will be particularly challenging. Prior experiences in public health emergencies have demonstrated that there is a high likelihood of an increase of violence, including gender-based violence, domestic violence or corporal punishment against children and woman. With the current movement restrictions, girls and boys victims of violence will face obstacles to seek out for help and have access to support systems.
