Disruptions, adjustments and hopes: The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on child well‐being in five Majority World Countries

Abstract

Drawing on integrated data from focus groups and diary entries, we explored the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on child well‐being for children from five Majority World Countries. We focus on the disruptions the pandemic caused, the adjustments made in response to these, and children's vision of a post‐pandemic world. Underlying children's experiences of loss, boredom and concerns about educational progress, was an awareness of systemic inequalities that disadvantaged them or others in their community. Findings have implications on capturing children's voices through introspective and dialogical approaches that transcend cultures and for the development of preventive and responsive interventions during crises.

Children and young people's perspectives on and experiences of COVID‐19 in global contexts

“…In particular, education, childcare provision and engagement with the digital world took on new meanings and required new daily rhythms and routines for families globally. Education provision moved online for many children and this had a profound impact, both positive and negative, on children's family life and mental health as highlighted by Haffejee et al (2023) in their research in five Majority World countries (Brazil, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey). O'Hagan and Byrne (2023) noted the importance of continued access to in‐person healthcare, education and community groups for the autistic young people in Northern Ireland whose lives they researched, noting that their experiences were more negative than positive during the lockdown periods of the pandemic.…”

“…Haffejee et al (2023) show that children and young people in the above‐mentioned five countries, aged 8–17, agentically responded to the challenges caused by the global health crisis. Those children further provided their vision of a post‐pandemic world that addresses social inequality issues they were aware of.…”

“…Yet despite the multiplicity and diversity of children's lived experiences, a common key theme from our papers is the theoretical importance of developing our research to foreground the child's perspectives; so that children actively participate in all levels of their life -political, social and cultural. Haffejee et al (2023) show that children and young people in the above-mentioned five countries, aged 8-17, agentically responded to the challenges caused by the global health crisis. Those children further provided their vision of a post-pandemic world that addresses social inequality issues they were aware of.…”

Children's lives in an era of school closures: Exploring the implications of COVID‐19 for child labour in Ghana

“…Emerging literature shows that the impact of the pandemic (through the adoption of coping measures such as school closures, social distancing, and lockdowns) on children has been far‐reaching. Haffejee et al’s ( 2022 ) research with children from marginalised contexts in Brazil, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey demonstrates how children experience individual‐level disruptions amongst other things. That is, children have difficulty adjusting to new COVID‐19‐inspired rules, adopting online learning and projecting internalising behaviour traits such as loneliness and sadness.…”

“…That is, children have difficulty adjusting to new COVID‐19‐inspired rules, adopting online learning and projecting internalising behaviour traits such as loneliness and sadness. Children also experience school‐level disruptions (displaying sadness about school closures and missing friends) as well as community‐level disruptions (reflected in their awareness of rising hunger and economic crisis in their communities) (Haffejee et al, 2022 ). These findings are not unique, as they align with Toros' ( 2021 ) study of the lived experiences of Estonian children in the context of COVID‐19.…”