‘It feels like I’m falling! When I think of the future, it makes me feel like I’m falling because nothing is for sure.’
This is a comment made by a young girl as she struggles with the unprecedented changes that are rapidly taking place in her world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, despite the hope of many that as soon as restrictions are lifted, ‘life will return to normal,’ what we must come to terms with is the fact that our world has been irrevocably changed. The reality that we are facing is that the coronavirus pandemic and the measures being implemented to contain its spread are disrupting almost every aspect of our children’s lives. It is not only affecting their health, learning and development, but many are at greater risk and in need of protection from violence and abuse. Furthermore, there are grave concerns about their mental health and psychosocial well-being. There will be no return to normal, but an urgent need to learn and adjust to a ‘new normal.’
As we struggle to maintain societal norms under vast, sweeping stay-at-home orders and as we adjust to new requirements like social distancing, we must begin to turn our attention to the long-term effects that these changes are having on our youth. While we try to grapple with the immediate health concerns and the economic fall-out from the pandemic, it is paramount that we acknowledge the long term mental health consequences on this generation of children. Indeed, I would argue that if these challenges are not properly addressed, they may have a greater impact on our world in the long run, than the deep economic recession that is currently threatening the world.
According to UNESCO, the magnitude of this pandemic is such that 87 per cent of the world’s student population has been affected by school closures. Further, some 99 per cent of them are experiencing limits in their movements as a result of the world’s health crises. There is no denying that the majority of the world’s population has suffered an abject loss due to COVID–19. Psychological research has demonstrated that these types of epidemics lead to issues such as anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress.
Today, many young people are wading through complicated emotions. Some are struggling with caring for relatives who are sick, as well as being separated from those who have been hospitalized and even having to face the death of those they love. They are isolated from their friends and have had significant events erased from their calendars. Teenagers and young adults who were scheduled to graduate from high school and college are caught in limbo as they struggle with disappointment and disruption at this important time in their lives. Many are unsure whether they should continue to plan for college or how and when to begin to look for jobs. They find themselves in limbo as expectations of launching into new academic and professional careers clash with a new post-COVID-19 reality.
Younger tweens are missing out on the opportunity to learn and develop valuable social skills that can only be honed through interactions with their peers. For younger children, the risk may be even greater, as high levels of stress and isolation can affect brain development which can have irreversible long-term consequences.
Girls are particularly affected, as stay-at-home measures can result in increased gender-based violence, child pregnancy and even child marriage. Many may be required to take on increased responsibility for household chores along with caring for older relatives. We know from previous shutdowns, that school children and especially girls, who are out of school for extended periods of time are much less likely to return when school resumes. These and other ills cannot be ignored but must figure prominently in all discussions concerning the way forward as the world struggles to regain its footing after the shakings foisted upon it by a microscopic enemy.
As we begin to chart the way forward, it is imperative that we listen to the needs of our youth as expressed by them. The needs of the young cannot be ignored but must shape our programs and services. Indeed, there will have to be investments, both private and public, in psychosocial and mental health programmes. These programmes must be designed with a specific focus on our youth, especially those who were already vulnerable as a result of pre-existing mental health conditions and impoverished circumstances. Policies that emerge should be community-based and widespread. Technological platforms that are rapidly becoming part of the ‘new normal’ can be used to quickly and directly reach youth who need counselling and support.
Even as professionals brace for the wave of emotional and psychological challenges that will inevitably come out of the rapid changes in our world, parents likewise need to foster an environment that promotes openness and emotional healing for children. While we encourage them to adopt an attitude of gratitude and to actively embrace mindsets that are resilient and open to change, we must also acknowledge the loss and perhaps even the grief that many of them feel. With expectations and other celebratory milestones dashed, we must allow them space and time to grieve. As they grapple with the loss of the familiar or even with the loss of loved ones, allow them the freedom to express their emotions without judgment. Listen when they try to share their emotions with you.
The ravages of this pandemic have robbed our young people of significant milestones in their lives. It has disrupted learning and hindered development. In many ways, normalcy and security have been shattered, especially for those in already vulnerable positions.
It is with this backdrop, that we must invest in and craft policies that are inclusive of their voices, are community-based and widespread so that they promote an environment that not only recognizes their struggles but also creates channels for counselling and support. As we focus on rebuilding our world, let us plan to shape a world that is safer and healthier for every young person and every child, a world that is supportive of their mental health and wellbeing as a whole.
Rowena Martineau-Pitt is a lecturer in Sociology at Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies, Trinidad and Tobago
