COVID-19 and Psychological Damage Caused by Quarantine in Children
Zohreh Karimiankakolaki
Department of Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University,Shahrekord, Iran.
A R T I C L E I N F O |
|
A B S T R A C T |
|
Letter to the Editor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation: Karimiankakolaki Z. COVID-19 and Psychological Damage Caused By Quarantine in Children. Journal of Social Behavior and Community Health (JSBCH). 2023; 7(1): 968-970.
Dear Editor
The outbreak of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on January 30, 2020 was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an emergency health problem(Ho, Chee, & Ho, 2020). Any major epidemic outbreak will have a negative impact on individuals and society, quarantine alone may not be enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and the global impact of this viral infection is a serious concern(Sohrabi et al., 2020). Lockdown and quarantine play a negative role in children’s mental health, the degree of mental health during
COVID-19 varied in different age groups and genders, it has more effects in children(Tremolada, Rosa, Incardona, Taverna, & Guidi, 2023; Zhang, 2023). Online mental health services for COVID-19 epidemics in China have improved the quality
and effectiveness of emergency psychiatric interventions(Liu et al., 2020). The devastating effects of adverse events are always greater in children than in others. Numerous studies have documented the destructive effects of stress on children. Anxiety, depression, lethargy, impaired social interaction, and decreased appetite are some of these effects. Physiological effects can weaken or threaten the immune system (Park et al., 2020). Quarantined children and adolescents experienced greater psychological distress than non-quarantined children and adolescents and Worry (68.59%), helplessness (66.11%) and fear (61.98%) were the most common feelings experienced under quarantine (Saurabh & Ranjan, 2020). In the study by Panda et al 34.5%, 41.7%, 42.3% and 30.8% of children were found to be suffering from anxiety, depression, irritability and inattention and at least 22.5% of children had a significant fear of COVID-19, and 35.2% and 21.3% of children had boredom and sleep disturbance(Panda et al., 2021). 30% of quarantined children have clinical criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder(Sprang & Silman, 2013). During unfortunate events, children are forced to stay at home for a long time due to forced isolation and school closures, and as a result, their contact with their classmates is limited and their physical activity is reduced(Jiao et al., 2020). Chinese experts have suggested some action in this regard to parents and family members. Includes joint games to reduce loneliness, increase communication with children to allay their fears and anxieties, use music therapy as a song to reduce anxiety, fear and stress, and encourage activities that strengthen the physical activity(Jiao et al., 2020). All of these measures are necessary to support the child to go through this difficult time, in addition, parents should pay attention to sleep problems and nightmares, avoid increasing sleep during the day, and use health and relaxation techniques in sleep, use a positive psychological attitude to reduce stress(Jiao et al., 2020). Understanding the Mental Health Response After a public health emergency may help medical staff and communities to prepare for a response to a catastrophe and to control the psychological damage that results from it(Von Keudell et al., 2016). The outbreak of the virus, followed by quarantine, has led to a decline in mental and psychological resilience and the need for psychological intervention, Only by strengthening psychological defense can nations succeed in this long battle(Ho et al., 2020). Studies on psychosocial interventions for children during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine could be effective(Boldt et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2021). Interventions that adapt evidence-based strategies for feasible delivery may be effective to address mental health in COVID-19(Bonardi et al., 2022).This pandemic should redouble our commitment to children and families and to underserved communities all around the globe. It should also be a powerful reminder of the fact that we are not alone: we have each other(Witt, Ordóñez, Martin, Vitiello, & Fegert, 2020). Given that we are experiencing psychological damage after controlling Covid 19, it is imperative that health measures be designed and implemented to prevent and control the psychological damage caused by quarantine.
In order to control mental and emotional injuries, children should be the center of attention and care.
Family-oriented interventions should be designed and implemented in order to prevent psychological injuries.
Due to the fact that we are not safe from
the Covid-19 pandemic, crisis management programs should be prioritized to prevent the occurrence of psychological injuries in children.
Keywords
COVID-19, Psychological Damage, Quarantine, Children
References
Boldt, K., Coenen, M., Movsisyan, A., Voss, S., Rehfuess, E., et al. (2021). Interventions to ameliorate the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children—A systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2361.
Bonardi, O., Wang, Y., Li, K., Jiang, X., Krishnan, A., et al. (2022). Effects of COVID-19 mental health interventions among children, adolescents, and adults not quarantined or undergoing treatment due to COVID-19 infection: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(5), 336-350.
Ho, C. S., Chee, C. Y., & Ho, R. C. (2020). Mental Health Strategies to Combat the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Beyond Paranoia and Panic. Ann Acad Med Singapore, 49(1), 1-3.
Jiao, W. Y., Wang, L. N., Liu, J., Fang, S. F., Jiao, F. Y., et al. (2020). Behavioral and Emotional Disorders in Children during the COVID-19 Epidemic. The Journal of Pediatrics.
Liu, S., Yang, L., Zhang, C., Xiang, Y.-T., Liu, Z., et al. (2020). Online mental health services in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), e17-e18.
Panda, P. K., Gupta, J., Chowdhury, S. R., Kumar, R., Meena, A. K., et al. (2021). Psychological and behavioral impact of lockdown and quarantine measures for
COVID-19 pandemic on children, adolescents and caregivers: a systematic review and
meta-analysis. Journal of tropical pediatrics, 67(1), fmaa122.
Park, I., Oh, S. M., Lee, K. H., Kim, S., Jeon, J. E., et al. (2020). The moderating effect of sleep disturbance on the association of stress with impulsivity and depressed mood. Psychiatry Investigation, 17(3), 243.
Saurabh, K., & Ranjan, S. (2020). Compliance and psychological impact of quarantine in children and adolescents due to Covid-19 pandemic. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 87, 532-536.
Sohrabi, C., Alsafi, Z., O’Neill, N., Khan, M., Kerwan, A., et al. (2020). World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). International Journal of Surgery.
Sprang, G., & Silman, M. (2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder in parents and youth after health-related disasters. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 7(1), 105-110.
Tremolada, M., Rosa, M., Incardona, R. M., Taverna, L., & Guidi, M. (2023). Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychosocial Well-being and Adaptation in Children and Adolescents with Asperger’s Syndrome. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(3), 2132.
Von Keudell, A., Koh, K. A., Shah, S. B., Harris, M. B., Smith, M., et al. (2016). Mental health after the Boston marathon bombing. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(9), 802-804.
Witt, A., Ordóñez, A., Martin, A., Vitiello, B., & Fegert, J. M. (2020). Child and adolescent mental health service provision and research during the Covid-19 pandemic: challenges, opportunities, and a call for submissions: Springer.
Yang, Y., Sun, S., Hu, S., Tang, C., Zhang, Y., et al. (2021). Comparative effectiveness of multiple psychological interventions for psychological crisis in people affected by coronavirus disease 2019: a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 577187.
Zhang, B. (2023). The Implication of the COVID-19 Lockdown and Quarantine on Child Psychology. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 7, 168-174.
Rights and permissions | |
![]() |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |