COVID and Children Groups at High Risk of Mental Health Issues
Children Groups at High Risk of Mental Health Issues
Author; Jennifer Francis, Senior Researcher - NoSchoolViolence
After over a year of online learning, schools are starting to reopen their doors for students. While normality seems to be within reach, it is important to remember the toll this year has taken on children’s mental health and what that means when they go back to school. Children are especially vulnerable to mental health issues caused by global crises -- indeed, the child suicide rate in Japan jumped by a staggering 49% during the second wave.
One thing to note is that the pandemic has not affected all individuals or communities equally, and this naturally extends to children. There are certain groups of children that are at greater risk of mental health issues. We have reviewed studies from past global crises as well as preliminary studies of children’s health post-Covid to identify those who will need extra attention:
Children from low income backgrounds
This single factor exacerbates or is connected to all the other factors on this list, making it the most serious. One study calls the effects of Covid on low-income children “a social crisis in the making” (Lancklin 2020). Low income households have been hit the hardest financially as well as health-wise during the pandemic, with children being no exception.
Children who live in low income households experience food insecurity, reduced access to digital tools, increased family instability, and even homelessness. In the US, one in seven households had children with food insecurity in 2018 (source). In New York city, one in ten students were homeless or experienced severe housing instability in 2019 (source). Not only are these children not getting the education they need, but they are also at a much more increased risk of mental health issues and violence. If there is one group of children that should be prioritized in resources and access to mental health support, it should unequivocally be this one.
2. Children of Color
Similar to low income children, factoring in color finds correlates with all other risk groups listed here. That is to say, children of color are more likely to be from a low income household, to be children of essential workers or unemployed individuals, and to have lost a parent compared to their white counterparts. This pandemic is setting up a crisis for children of color as they fall further behind in academics and in mental health. Educators and policymakers should consider prioritizing communities of color as they often lack access to proper educational and mental health tools.
3. Children of essential workers
As a general rule, children exposed most directly to the effects of the pandemic will be the ones to have more adverse mental health effects. Essential workers have been put under immense pressure this past year, and these have no doubt had reverberations onto their children.
What’s more is that healthcare workers have been choosing to live apart from their families in order to prevent infection, causing parental separation. When children were separated from their parents during WWII, child psychologist Anna Freud concluded, “Separation from their parents was a worse shock for children than a bombing.” Separation from caregivers -- in the absence of another caring adult -- can cause cognitive regression, conduct disorders, depression and anxiety in young children (source).
4. Children who have lost a loved one
As we mentioned previously, those closest to the pandemic will inevitably suffer more. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that about 40,000 children have lost a parent to Covid, with black children being hit disproportionately. Children who have lost a parent or grandparent to Covid-19 are at increased risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation as well as interpersonal violence.
5. Children whose parents have become unemployed
Unemployment affects so many aspects of material and family life. It will come as no surprise that again, children of low income households and children of color have been disproportionately affected by this. By May 2020, about 51.7 million parents have lost income due to Covid-19, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.
Increases in unemployment are also correlated with an increase in many forms of violence, including child abuse, as well as family instability. Both these factors have long lasting consequences on children, who now no longer have school as a respite from a dangerous home life. Children of low income households are particularly susceptible to violence; reports of child abuse and neglect are five times higher in low income households than those with higher socioeconomic status (U.S. Department of Health & Human Service, 2020).
Current data is largely incomplete on how the pandemic is affecting child abuse numbers. A recent UK study showed an alarming rise in head trauma of very young children, but no conclusive studies have been performed in the US. When children witness violence, including spousal violence, they are much more likely to model that violence with their peers (Moylan et al., 2010).
6. Children with existing mental health disorders
The pandemic has only shown to exacerbate existing mental health issues, ranging from treatable disorders such as depression and PTSD to more severe difficulties such as autism. According to a 2016 National Survey of Children’s health, the prevalence is about 16% ages 6-17 in the US, with about 6% for more severe emotional-behavioral difficulties. Moreover, due to lockdown, these children are currently not getting the treatment they need -- especially if they are in a low income household or children of color.
Children are going to need help this school year, and some children are going to need more help than others. Based on the data, we highly recommend that educators, policymakers and researchers prioritize those who are at highest risk of mental health issues and violence.