Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures, including lockdowns and school closures, have been negatively affecting school-aged children’s psychological wellbeing. To identify supports required to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we gathered in-depth information on school-aged children’s and parents’ lived experiences of COVID-19 and perceptions of its impact on psychological wellbeing in grade 4–6 students in Canada. In this qualitative study, we conducted telephone-based semi-structured interviews with parents (n = 15) and their children (n = 16) from six schools in small and mid-sized northern prairie communities in Canada. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes have emerged. First, the start of COVID-19 brought sudden and stressful changes to children’s lives. Second, disruptions to daily life led to feelings of boredom and lack of purpose. Third, limited opportunities for social interaction led to loneliness and an increase in screen time to seek social connection with peers. Results underscore the need for resilience building and the promotion of positive coping strategies to help school-aged children thrive in the event of future health crises or natural disasters.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the implementation of public health measures that created a lot of hardship for large populations of school-aged children [1]
Severe limits on social interaction during childhood can lead to loneliness and social isolation [2,3]—major risk factors for future mental health problems [4]
Given the varying intensity and duration of COVID-19 public health measures across countries and regions [15], our focus in this study is on the lived experiences and perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological wellbeing among elementary school-aged children in Canada
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the implementation of public health measures (school closures, cancellations of extracurricular activities, physical distancing, ‘stay home’ orders) that created a lot of hardship for large populations of school-aged children [1]. There is a need to understand the contextual information concerning school-aged children’s lived experiences of COVID-19 and its impacts on their psychological wellbeing [10,11,12]. Given the varying intensity and duration of COVID-19 public health measures across countries and regions [15], our focus in this study is on the lived experiences and perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological wellbeing among elementary school-aged children in Canada
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
