Last Updated: December 28, 2022, 19:05 IST
Children these days are experiencing burnout, which has never before been seen.
Owing to the ongoing pandemic, there have been short and long-term effects of reduced in-person learning, playing and social connection.
Parents often witness their children suffering from mental health issues. Some parents believe that their kids are resilient. But is this actually the case? Adults need to pay attention and help their children develop, nurture, and be resilient. Children these days are experiencing burnout, which has never before been seen.
Owing to the ongoing pandemic, there have been short and long-term effects of reduced in-person learning, playing and social connection. Many children are, thus, presently in a downward spiral of sadness and anxiety, also due to the demands of maintaining composure, positivity, focus and forward-thinking behaviour, as the world around them copes with a deadly virus.
Evidence in a US study, both during and after the pandemic’s peak, demonstrates that children’s mental well-being has been affected. Developmental delays, academic learning gaps, a shortage of mental health professionals, self-harm and an increase in drug use are all the factors behind it. There are concerning trends which have been on the rise, which include a 50% rise in hospital admissions for teenage girls who attempt suicide and a 24% increase in mental health emergency room visits for kids aged 5 to 11. These trends all point to serious mental health consequences for children.
Children often need caring adults, be they a teacher, academic advisors, or counsellor. They need them to develop resilience, which involves tenacity, the ability to endure difficulty, effective emotional coping mechanisms, and self-belief in one’s ability to prevail. But in reality, closures of schools prevented millions of children from receiving such adult mentoring, including necessary resources and support.
