Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak

Abstract

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Mental health considerations for children quarantined because of COVID-19

“…For children who are quarantined at home with their parents or relatives, the stress caused by such a sharp change in their environment might be eased to some degree. 2 However, children who are separated from their caregivers require special attention, including children infected with or suspected of being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), who are quarantined in local hospitals or collective medical observation centres; and children whose caregivers are infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who have died from the disease and are thus under the care of social charity groups. These children might be more susceptible to mental health problems because of their higher risk of infection, and the grief and fear caused by parental loss or separation.…”

“…Annually, there are 630 000 new cancers related to human papillomavirus, of which more than 85% are cancers of the cervix and approximately 90% of these cervical cancers occurr in lowincome and low-income to middle-income countries. 1,2 The incidence of cervical cancer is projected to increase for the foreseeable future. In some countries, cervical cancer fatality rates exceed 50% because of the inadequacy of screening, diagnostic tests, and treatment.…”

“…Although adults often want to know how children are feeling, adults often do not set an example by sharing some of their own feelings, and conversations might well be dominated by the practical aspects of illness. 2 Research has highlighted that parents sometimes specifically use technical or factual language to try and minimise their children's distress. 8 An absence of emotion-focused conversations might leave children anxious about the emotional state of the adults around them.…”

“…This anxiety can inadvertently result in children's avoidance of sharing their own concerns in an attempt to protect others, leaving children to cope with these difficult feelings alone. 2 Adults need to be authentic about some of the uncertainty and psychological challenges of the pandemic, without overwhelming children with their own fears. This honesty not only offers a coherent explanation for what children are observing, but also grants permission for children to safely talk about their own feelings.…”

Personality differences and COVID-19: are extroversion and conscientiousness personality traits associated with engagement with containment measures?

“…[1][2][3] Similar to other coronaviruses (e.g., MERS-COV), 4 the negative impact of COVID-19 and its consequences are vast, including negative outcomes in mental health, with increased depressive and anxiety symptoms, stress disorders, insomnia, anger, and fear. [5][6][7][8][9][10] Furthermore, pandemics are known to provoke social disruptions. 1,2 Several publications warned of the need for containment measures, [11][12][13][14][15] mostly focusing on social distancing (defined as a set of actions aimed to stop or slow down the spread of a contagious disease, such as maintaining distance from other people and avoiding leaving the home) 16 and hand hygiene (including handwashing with soap and water, and hand sanitizing with alcoholic solutions).…”