Living in contemporary times where the Covid-19 upsurge has taken over the world, mental health problems are surfacing day by day. Times have changed and people are dealing with different levels of mental health problems. The Corona virus pandemic has posed significant mental health risks all over the world. People’s lives have been severely impacted by different factors such as unemployment, inflation, economic crises, and illness.
A renowned web development company in US is trying to facilitate its employees with mental health resources amidst the chaos. While patients and healthcare providers receive psychological assistance, the mental health of children also warrants consideration. As the situation deteriorates with new variants like ‘delta-variant’ and ‘omicron’, there is a fear that the new generation, particularly, the students might face multiple challenges in the years to come.
How Covid-19 has affected Children
The impact of the virus has been a source of constant pressure for children. With the rise in cases each day, the closure of educational institutions has hindered the mental health of several children. Children have been categorized as one of the most vulnerable categories prone to extreme stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which result in full-blown mental health disorders.
Before the pandemic, one out of every five children had one or more clinically diagnosed mental illnesses. It is believed that academic years are crucial in laying the groundwork for beneficial health practices that will carry over into adulthood. Young people endure various problems and are exposed to mental health problems throughout this phase of their lives. Any major shift or change during this phase of life tends to alter the personality of young individuals.
Mental health is just as essential as physical health in completing developmental milestones during childhood. It aids children’s emotional well-being and social abilities. Changes in the environment, new responsibilities, peer pressure, learning, and hectic job schedules can all result in psychological issues including stress and anxiety. With the rise in the Covid cases and frequent lock downs, a large number of students have become psychologically disturbed.
The Fear of Covid-19
The fear of catching the virus from the environment, despite the mandatory vaccines that have been introduced, is a pressure in and of itself. Students who deserve a carefree atmosphere are now bound to think before they step out. The switch from physical education to the online system has added to the stress of the situation and has a negative effect on a child’s emotional well-being.
Children are now confined to their homes with no physical activity that is essential for a healthy mind and body. This situation is alarming keeping in view that the youth of today will be contributing members of society. Current socio-economic trends show that the health sector has been put to the test. Insufficient research in the health sector concerning the virus is a major drawback of the present times. The virus is changing too fast for experts to keep up. The vulnerable populations include pregnant women, children, health workers & the elderly.
A Statistical Analysis
With increased cases and more variants, there is now a rise in psychologically disturbed children seeking therapists as well. Research shows that the paranoia of getting the virus was common in children who were interviewed for data collection for analysis. Moreover, the data collected from UNICEF revealed that 1 out of 5 children has been directly affected by frequent lock downs whereas; 1.7 billion have lost their access to education.
The graph shows 463 million children could not switch to an online learning system, which is a huge gap that will show its aftermath in the years to come. The best AI Development Services Providers in USA are trying to figure out ways to develop applications that provide assistive roles in the situation.
The Adversity of Digitisation Amidst the Ongoing Pandemic
The Covid-19 situation is unfolding against a backdrop of growing digitisation. At least within OECD nations, the majority of youngsters spend a substantial amount of time online. As a result, access to digital technologies may play a role to deteriorate some of the crisis’s effects.
Children, parents, authorities, and caregivers can use digital gadgets and internet connectivity to continue their education and instruction. Outside of the classroom, digital technologies may provide leisure activities and also psychological and social support. They enable social connections among children and, more broadly, contribute to developing digital literacy. However, increased use of digital resources has drawbacks. Such as lower quality home-schooling and social interactions than through school or in-person relationships. A study revealed that only 60% of nations implemented digital and/or broadcasted remote learning policies for pre-primary education. Despite the fact that more than 90% of countries had done so.
If internet use becomes increasingly unsupervised, increased digitisation might amplify problems such as sexual violence and cyber bullying.
The American Adolescent Psychiatric Association warns that cyberbullying might increase due to more internet usage among young individuals. Furthermore, growing digitization is expected to expand disparities among youngsters. As the children from poor strata are less likely to have a quiet location in their house to focus on their studies and/or have access to online schooling. This education gap impact might be long-lasting. If this matter remains unaddressed chances are high that the post-Covid-19 world will depict an even bigger divide between advantaged and underprivileged youngsters.
Covid-19 as a ‘Pressure Cooker’ Condition
By carefully and analyzing some of the major variables that were existent even before covid. Such as home poverty, overcrowding, social isolation, intimate partner violence, and parental substance misuse. The Covid-19 epidemic has added fuel to fire, by working as a catalyst for a significant increase in child maltreatment. The pandemic has caused a ‘pressure cooker’ condition in certain families, where family tension has reached hazardous levels. Excessive or sustained activation of stress reactions has been shown to damage children’s growth and wellbeing. Particularly in young children, according to research.
These issues are worrisome and not to be neglected as they have put forth the incompetency. That the world healthcare providers to deal with the virus. The need of the hour is to address the ongoing mental mayhem by paying special attention to developing appropriate strategies that can curb the chaos globally. Policy-makers are required to bring effective policies to halt the chaos. This will enable fewer inconsistencies in the health sector while safeguarding the new generation particularly children for a better tomorrow. Moreover, top app development company in USA must devise ways to come up with apps that can track children’s activities online and ease the situation digitally.