More than 120,000 Quebecers have been born since the start of the pandemic. Their health, like that of all 0-5 year olds, has weakened with the crisis.
This is the conclusion of the most recent portrait of the Observatory of the little ones, published Tuesday.
“Children are among those whose mental health deteriorated the most during the COVID-19 pandemic,” notes Fannie Dagenais, director of the Observatory.
“In a context where [l’enfant] remains isolated at home, where he no longer has a socialization context as before, in a context where the parents are also stressed, aggressive behavior, anxiety, sleeping difficulties have increased ”, observes Julie Brousseau , psychologist at the Marie Enfant Rehabilitation Center at CHU Sainte-Justine.
The loss of routine, benchmarks and stability – essential to the development of the child – largely explains this deterioration.
The flood of screens in our lives also harms children’s cognitive health, notes Julie Brousseau. “I see younger and younger children [qui utilisent les écrans]. They are two years old with a cell phone in their hands and they are doing a lot of things about it. They are very small. It’s not negative, but you have to look at books too. There has to be a balance. “
The overflow of explanations on the mechanisms of the pandemic can also disturb young children, adds the psychologist. “I saw a lot of little ones who happened to me and who knew a lot about COVID-19. It’s okay to know about it, but when parental anxieties are passed on to children too much, children lack the ability to reason and sort things out. “
Although many studies are still underway to determine the long-term effects of the pandemic on toddlers, Fannie Dagenais calls for caution. “You don’t have to think, given that the measures are all getting lighter, that you no longer need to worry about them. The social isolation experienced by parents and toddlers may continue to have repercussions. We really have to be on the lookout. “
Julie Brousseau believes that if the sources of stress are only temporary and that toddlers can resume their routine, “the anxiety will decrease”.
This text is taken from our newsletter “The Coronavirus Mail” of November 15, 2021. To subscribe, click here.