Addressing the Long-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families (2023) / Chapter Skim
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2 Societal and Developmental Contexts of the Pandemic
2 Societal and Developmental Contexts of the Pandemic
Pages 33-56
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From page 33... ...
In addition, the pandemic occurred at the time of and intersected with other major social events, including the widespread protests for racial justice in 2020; a rise in opioid addictions and deaths; and increasing polarization, politicization, and misinformation in public discourse: see Figure 2-1. Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs 33
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Systemic racism, experiences of discrimination, and social inequality are pervasive in the environments in which Black, Latino, and Native American families raise their children. These realities present unique threats that Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs 34
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. DEVELOPMENTAL CONTEXT To fully appreciate the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to recognize the developmental stages across the life course and how these stages are affected by such factors as structural inequities and racism, social determinants of health, family and social connections, and individual social and biological mechanisms.
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From page 36... ...
1 Parental well-being is a critical determinant of children's health and 1 For example, historical trauma is often used to refer to the experiences of Native Americans -- cumulative emotional and psychological wounding that is passed from one generation to the next in response to the loss of lives Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs 36
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found that greater historical trauma preceding the pandemic predicted greater increases in psychological stress, and levels of social support interacted with historical trauma to predict changes in psychological stress. The authors concluded that historical trauma may contribute to mental health disparities, through heightened psychological stress responses to life stressors.
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In concrete terms, this means, for example, that the behavioral and educational effects of school disruptions for a child just beginning formal schooling (which in some regions of the United States meant missing the full first year of school) is quite different from the effects for a child beginning the 4th grade who already mastered school routines, early reading, and other key Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs 38
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Applying the life-course perspective to the task of capturing and understanding the impacts of the pandemic suggests that the most effective interventions are likely to be those that focus on relevant developmental tasks, stretch key developmental windows, and are ecologically embedded and relevant to individual and group experiences over time (the National Academies, 2019)
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, for example, found that variables, including separation from a caregiver and evacuating to a shelter, were associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms in 7- to 19-year-old students 2 years after Hurricane Katrina. Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs 40
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. There are no parallel studies of the consequences of the pandemic for children, but similar findings have been reported among children exposed to a prolonged war, where direct exposure to life threats, witnessing threats, or injury to a family member and war-related losses were more predictive of long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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The existing disaster literature focuses on first responders who are emergency care personnel, but literature related to the pandemic expands that focus to both emergency care personnel and health care personnel (e.g., Wu et al., 2009)
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According to the same study, racially and ethnically minoritized children account for 65 percent of those who have lost a primary caregiver because of COVID-19, with American Indian and Alaska Native children 4.5 times as likely as White children to have lost a parent or caregiver, Black children 2.4 times as likely, and Hispanic children almost two times as likely (Hillis et al., 2021)
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From page 44... ...
, have included this broader trauma and loss exposure profiling in mental health recovery efforts. It will be important to explore similar issues about the long-term interactive consequence of prior trauma and loss exposure to pandemic exposure in post-COVID-19 mental health programming, including mental health screening, for children.
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, and disturb developmental trajectories. Ongoing life disruptions carry additional risks for child psychopathology (Comer et al., 2010)
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. Historical trauma and stress have been particularly salient for Native American communities that have long suffered a disproportionate burden of disease morbidity and mortality (Walls & Whitbeck, 2011; Hill et al., 2021; Kruse et al., 2022)
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of African American families enable them to navigate and overcome adversity and raise healthy children. Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs 47
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. COVID-19 mortality among American Indian and Alaska native persons -- 14 states, January–June 2020.
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. Social distance brings Native Americans together amid a difficult time.
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. Disasters and youth: A meta analytic examination of posttraumatic stress.
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. Psychopathology among New York City public school children 6 months after September 11.
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. Children's predisaster functioning as a predictor of posttraumatic stress following Hurricane Andrew.
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. Experiences and perceptions of family members of emergency first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder: a qualitative systematic review protocol.
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. Posttraumatic stress symptoms in children after Hurricane Katrina: Predicting the need for mental health services.
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. COVID-19 related posttraumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia.
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. Gene expression patterns associated with posttraumatic stress disorder following exposure to the World Trade Center attacks.
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