‘We can play tag with a stick’. Children's knowledge, experiences, feelings and creative thinking during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Waboso, Nwakerendu; Donison, Laurel; Raby, Rebecca; Harding, Evan; Sheppard, Lindsay C.; Grossman, Keely; Myatt, Haley; Black, S.

doi:10.1111/chso.12579

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…With respect to our first research question of how children describe their lives, our results echo findings of other recent work (e.g. Waboso et al, 2022) in showing a clear awareness of the reality of pandemic isolation. A majority of children in our study reported spending more time with their parents and less time with friends than they had prior to the pandemic, and talked about safety, masking, more time outdoors and the reality of online school.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Our research adds to a growing body of work highlighting the value of first-person perspectives of children on their own lives (Donegan et al, 2023;Koller et al, 2022;Pitt et al, 2021;Waboso et al, 2022;Zorec & Peček, 2022). Our interview was designed to leave opportunities for children to comment on negative feelings, hardship, difficulty and struggle, all of which they did.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An emerging body of work has taken a similarly direct approach with even younger children (Donegan et al, 2023; Koller et al, 2022; Waboso et al, 2022; Zorec & Peček, 2022). These studies show school‐age children to be competent at providing a first‐hand perspective on their own lives, capable of articulating a sophisticated understanding of medicine and public health (Bray et al, 2021; Koller et al, 2022), and able to think creatively about how to navigate social isolation and stress (Waboso et al, 2022). These studies find that children do not shy away from discussing stress, worry and difficulty, but that they are willing to share positive experiences and positive self‐reflection, in addition to negative ones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Being me in times of change: Young children's reflections on their lives during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Carpenter,

Siegel,

Urquiola

et al. 2023

Children & Society

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Research from the perspective of parents, educators and mental health professionals has documented the negative impacts of pandemic isolation on children, but few studies have sought children's own perspectives on this difficult year. The current study aims to provide a first‐person perspective on children's psychological health by asking children directly about their experiences of isolating at home. We interviewed 28 seven‐ to eleven‐year‐olds in early days of lockdowns with follow‐ups 6 months later. Children answered questions about family, school, friendships and feelings about the changes in their lives during lockdown. Children's reflections showed resilience, adaptability, positive appraisals and an ability to maintain meaningful social connections. This data underscores the value of including children's narratives to better understand the pandemic's lasting effects on their lives.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Being me in times of change: Young children's reflections on their lives during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Carpenter,

Siegel,

Urquiola

et al. 2023

Children & Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The findings of the present study support previous work showing that adolescents and young peoples reported more or less positive experiences, as well as contrasting consequences of pandemic restrictions (Kerekes et al, 2021 ; McKinlay et al, 2022 ; Panarese & Azzarita, 2021 ). Waboso et al ( 2022 ), similarly found children struggling during the pandemic, at the same time as they noted positive feelings and the development of coping strategies. The current findings show that relationships with family members were connected to positive change to a large extent, with an increased sense of caring and connectedness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Adolescents’ and young people’s experiences of social relationships and health concerns during COVID-19

Sundler,

Bergnehr,

Haffejee

et al. 2023

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Purpose To illuminate the meaning of social relationships and health concerns as experienced by adolescents and young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted. Data reported from 172 adolescents and young people aged 12–24 years in five countries; Chile, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States collected from May 2020 to June 2021 were analysed via thematic analysis. Results Adolescents and young peoples’ experiences of social relationships and health concerns were described in seven themes: Family proximity, conflicts and frustration; difficulties and challenges related to limited living space; peer relations and maintaining friendship in times of social distancing; the importance of school as a place for interaction; vulnerability, emotional distress and uncertainty about the future; health concerns and sense of caring for others; and worries and concerns related to financial hardship. These reports show that the changes to everyday life that were introduced by public responses to the pandemic generated feelings of loneliness, vulnerability, and emotional distress, as well as increased sense of togetherness with family. Conclusions The everyday lives of adolescents and young people were restricted and affected more by the consequences of the pandemic than by the COVID-19 virus. These experiences had various impacts on well-being and mental health, where some individuals felt more exposed and vulnerable to emotional distress and loneliness than others. Family and peer relationships could be protective and support a sense of togetherness and belonging. Hence, social relationships are important to provide emotional support. Support for adolescents and young people should be tailored accordingly around social and emotional concerns, to encourage health and well-being.

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“…Several of the papers highlight that children were both enabled and constrained by the adults around them relative to space and time but also embedded in sociocultural locations and social relations as noted by Waboso et al (2023). These findings highlight the constraints and limits of enabling the child's voice in the research process.…”

Section: To Discuss Whether and How Children And Young People's Voice...mentioning

confidence: 98%

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

Hoskins

Gao

et al. 2022

Children & Society

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This special issue was proposed by Children & Society editors specifically for the journal's strategic aims to enhance its internationalisation; and to embrace children's perspectives and experiences in producing knowledge about childhoods in challenging times and underrepresented contexts (Berriman et al., 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic is such an ongoing challenge and has profoundly affected the daily lives of children around the globe (Cowie & Myers, 2021). Lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantine increase children's anxiety and stress and reduce access to vital family members, friends, and care services. The COVID-19 pandemic re-sets the boundaries and spaces of formal education, by bringing it directly into homes across the globe and shifting the family involvement in children's education and care. In addition to social, developmental and mental health issues caused to children due to lockdowns and constraints with learning (Cowie & Myers, 2021), there is a high proportion of children worldwide who live in difficult circumstances and experience issues such as poverty, lack of food, water, sanitation or hygiene, domestic violence and abuse, special needs, conflicts and those who are refugees and migrants (UNICEF, 2020). They may have already been in those disadvantaged situations, and the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately has worsened the circumstances for them.During the time of the pandemic, home has become a more visible quasi-public space through digital technologies for some children, but has also further marginalised children living in digitally impoverished contexts (Iyer et al., 2020). Digital contact in the hybridisation of public and private spaces raises concerns over child protection and safety for many children (Iyer et al., 2020). Nevertheless, little is known about how space (physical and digital) has been experienced by children who were confined to their homes. Even less visible in scholarship concerning children and young people's experiences of and perspectives on COVID-19 are those from children living in contexts other than mainstream notions of 'home' and from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.Set against this context, this special issue examines the challenges that have faced children and their families across a range of different cultural and geographical contexts. These include countries from six continents of the world, namely: Europe

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‘We can play tag with a stick’. Children's knowledge, experiences, feelings and creative thinking during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Cited by 6 publications

References 69 publications

Being me in times of change: Young children's reflections on their lives during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Being me in times of change: Young children's reflections on their lives during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Adolescents’ and young people’s experiences of social relationships and health concerns during COVID-19

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

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