Covid-19 and Mental Health: The Long-Term Impact on Children’s Development
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“Providing reassurance is, I think, probably going to be the most helpful thing [for children]. Give them some grace and understanding that they are having more behavior issues right now because this is a hard time for them as well.”
Tracy Stafford, Program Manager of the Early Childhood Team at Oregon Community Programs
When the coronavirus became a household word earlier this year, the world quickly shifted. We all had to perform many daily tasks differently—from how we grocery shopped to how we cleaned our homes, from how we worked to how we cared for our children. Developmental psychologists quickly recognized how much this impacted the daily lives of parents, and by extension, that of their children. As a community, pediatric counselors had to quickly adjust to a whole new set of issues affecting parents and children.
Tracy Stafford is program manager of the early childhood team at Oregon Community Programs. OCP provides several different research-based interventions for families and children, primarily between the ages of two and seven.
“Counselors had to switch over to telehealth services which was an adjustment because we’ve always seen families and children primarily in our offices,” says Stafford. “Our director helped us adapt quickly, but it has definitely been interesting providing telehealth therapy to three- and four-year olds.”
Adapting Telehealth Services to Children’s Needs
OCP provides what is known as parent-child interaction therapy, or PCIT. The goal of PCIT is to increase attachment and decrease negative behaviors, as well as to improve positive parent/child interactions, making for a healthier overall relationship. They help children recover from trauma, and they also work closely with parents to help them learn positive parenting skills such as how to manage difficult behaviors and how to provide consistent limits. All of those issues became both more difficult and more important with parents out of work, childcare closed, routines disrupted, and schooling taking place at home.
“We had to keep things interactive so the kids feel like they’re participating in something more than just listening to us talk, which doesn’t really work well with kids anyway,” Stafford says.
Beyond those immediate adjustments, no one is sure how the pandemic will affect kids down the road. Birth to age five is a critical time, and child development theory typically encourages foundational experiences such as playing outside, socializing with a variety of children and adults, and starting school in person with a group of peers.
Older children expect the cultural milestones of attending prom and walking across the stage to get their diplomas. Most of those things weren’t possible due to the pandemic and may be forever changed in the future.
The Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development – Early Childhood (RAPID-EC)
A University of Oregon survey conducted by Philip Fisher in September 2020 found that many parents are delaying the start of kindergarten. Out of 1,000 parents, 17 percent of respondents said they were keeping their children out of kindergarten due to concerns about virus safety and managing virtual schooling and other responsibilities.
Fisher, a psychology professor and child development researcher with a focus on early brain development, is at the forefront of efforts to measure the effect of the pandemic on young children and their families. Fisher leads a survey called Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development – Early Childhood, or RAPID-EC. He began collecting information in April. Since May, he has published weekly or biweekly highlights. They have a nationally representative sample of voluntary respondents through an active parenting network called Parents Together. The organization serves families with children up to 18, but Fisher was particularly interested in age five and under.
“There was not any extant scientific knowledge base about how kids and families might fare through this period and especially with so much changing,” Fisher says. “The early years of child development are so important and what we’re finding is cause for concern. The data shows a kind of chain reaction of stress from parents to kids.”
Their nationally representative sample of 1,000 families allows the team to draw conclusions about differences based on income, geography, and race.
“How kids are doing seems to be the direct result, not surprisingly, of how well parents are doing, and how well parents are doing is being driven most strongly in our data by the extent to which households are able to pay for basic needs for their family,” Fisher says.
The Financial Hardship Stemming From Covid-19
When parents express more “material hardship” they also report higher levels of depression, loneliness, anxiety, and stress. Fisher says that is then subsequently passed along weeks later to children, which manifests in the form of behavior problems, fears, and anxieties.
In July, 20 percent of households reported at least one area of material hardship (not enough money for food, bills, rent, etc). In August (after supplemental unemployment insurance ran out), that number jumped to 40 percent of households with children under five reporting not having enough money to get by.
“We know from existing research that children need to be buffered from chronic activation of their own biological stress response systems in order to have optimal development,” Fisher says. “Children rely on their primary caregivers to help regulate their experiences. When adults report that they’re having a lot of difficulties, this is a perfect storm of what has been referred to as toxic stress.”
Fisher says toxic, chronic stress is likely to affect brain function, health, academic achievement, and other issues as a child matures. The other two primary findings are that all of these stresses are greatly exacerbated in Black and Latinx households, in lower-income households, and in single-parent households.
“These structural inequalities that existed previously based on race, family structure, and income have only widened over the course of the pandemic,” Fisher says.
The third primary finding of RAPID-EC is that the wellbeing of caregivers rises and falls proportionally to the infection rates of the states in which people reside. Fisher hopes his data will influence state and/or national policy.
Stafford says her staff has “definitely” seen families dealing with higher stress which is impacting children at home and family relationships.
“Kids are bored: they’re frustrated, they want to see their friends,” says Stafford. “There’s a lot going on for them too.”
How Stress Impacts a Developing Brain
Research is clear that chronic stress can impact brain development, which over the long term can affect a child’s self-regulation skills. Their ability to learn and take in new information can be affected, as can their immune system.
“This period of really intense and chronic stress for families right now could lead to higher rates of depression and anxiety in the family, which could potentially lead to more incidents of domestic violence and abuse,” Stafford says. “That hasn’t been officially determined yet, but that’s something many people are predicting. All of this can potentially lead to long-term medical and mental health problems down the line.”
Even though families may need more help than ever, there are fewer resources available than ever. Many community organizations are not offering the level of services that they were prior to Covid-19. Stafford says OCP has been “inundated” with requests for referrals since April because there’s more need than they can meet.
OCP has begun seeing some young children in small group settings in person. The biggest problem Stafford sees is not, perhaps surprisingly, that the kids don’t want to wear masks—they are adjusting to wearing masks just fine—it’s that they are feeling isolated.
“During the ages of two to seven—a time period where kids are very social and want to play with other kids and make friends—they’re just not able to do that,” she says.
What Can Parents Do to Help Buffer Kids from Covid-19 Stress
Parents, when they’re not stressed out themselves, may wonder what they can do to minimize any negative impact on their kids. Stafford says the No. 1 thing parents can do is to be a supportive, nurturing caregiver. That’s hard when you’re stressed and frustrated yourself, which is where the importance of self-care comes in so that you can be your best self to best help others.
Emily Peterson, one of Stafford’s colleagues at OCP, created an infographic based with information from the Early Trauma Treatment Network to circulate in their community. Called “Ways To Support Children During Times of Stress,” the graphic emphasizes reassuring safety, allowing feelings, letting kids share their stories of what is happening, and understanding that a child’s altered experiences may make them clingy. If you are going out of the home, take extra time to let them know where you are going and when you will be back.
“Make sure that you are checking in with your kids, that you’re labeling their emotions, letting them know that you’re with them and that they’re going to get through this and things are going to be okay,” Stafford says. “Providing reassurance is, I think, probably going to be the most helpful thing. Give them some grace and understanding that they are having more behavior issues right now because this is a hard time for them as well.”
Vanessa Salvia
WriterVanessa Salvia is an Oregon-based freelance writer and editor with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. As fun as rigorous studies in math and science were, Vanessa took an independent path and developed a prolific career covering lifestyle and healthcare topics for magazines and newspapers, important industries such as concrete construction and building waterproofing, and even hard science. You can get in touch at Sage Media and Marketing.