Addressing the Long-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families (2023) / Chapter Skim
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3 Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Effects
3 Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Effects
Pages 57-77
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From page 57... ...
While the global community generally shares a common set of experiences tied to the pandemic, it is useful to restate in a broad sense the experiences of children and their families as a foundation for describing what is known from research about the social, emotional, and behavioral effects for children now and in the future. It is too soon to know the full consequences of the pandemic, but many organizations that work at the intersection of trauma and adversity, child development, and education have predicted the need for increased support for children who are experiencing the effects of such a prolonged, unpredictable, and stressful health crisis (e.g., National Child Traumatic Stress Network; National Association of School Psychologists; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Trauma Learning and Policy Initiative; Gurwitch & Brymer, 2020; National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Nurses, 2020; Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, 2020; Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, 2020)
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From page 58... ...
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES Short-Term Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Consequences As described in Chapters 1 and 2, child and family life has been fundamentally altered by the primary and secondary exposures to COVID-19, including the substantial public health measures intended to reduce the disease's spread. Notably, widespread closures of child care programs and schools affected children worldwide.
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From page 59... ...
The child disaster literature recognizes that disaster-generated developmental insults can disrupt key developmental transitions, such as the transition from middle school to high school or from high school to higher education. Disasters and the prolonged recovery environment can significantly interfere with anticipated or new developmental opportunities and concomitantly deflate developmental aspirations.
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From page 60... ...
A few studies have examined the effects of COVID-19 on young adults, primarily college students, and revealed several patterns in disrupted autonomy and personal space; shifts in family roles; and challenges in navigating communication, expectations, and family interactions. Those returning home in March 2020 experienced more negative interactions with parents and increased fear for their own and their family's health, perceived less acceptance by their parents about returning home, reported low personal autonomy, and engaged in fewer positive selfimprovement and coping strategies for strengthening family relationships than they had previously experienced.
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From page 61... ...
affect child and adolescent developmental outcomes through adult psychological distress, family conflict, and challenges to the typical processes of parenting and caregiving. One could apply the mechanisms highlighted in these models to the relationships that are part of the regular, everyday interactions of children as they go about their lives (in relation to teachers and peers at school, for example)
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From page 62... ...
Optimism is a relatively stable trait, and optimists generally tend to expect positive outcomes, which in turn influence how individuals respond to challenging circumstances. Having a positive outlook on life has been associated with better psychological adjustment to negative life events, increased access to positive social networks, and better physical health (Taylor et al., 2010)
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From page 63... ...
In addition, some interventions are designed to provide children and adolescents with opportunities to learn and practice foundational social and emotional skills and perspectives that enable them to manage and respond to ongoing experiences of uncertainty and disruption. Across the interventions, a central feature is a connection to adults and experiences that offer opportunities for ongoing screening and observation to identify children and adolescents who are struggling and to connect them to needed support.
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From page 64... ...
. In a report to Congress about the federally funded tribal home visiting programs, performance measurement data showed improvement in indicators of six legislatively mandated benchmark areas: maternal and newborn health; child injuries, abuse, neglect, or maltreatment and emergency department visits; school readiness and achievement; crime or domestic violence; family economic self-sufficiency; and service coordination and referrals (Lyon et al., 2015)
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From page 65... ...
The Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP) is an intervention adapted from the Incredible Years social and emotional development program 5 and supplemented with mental health consultation and coaching for educators.
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From page 66... ...
This approach of collaborative mental health consultation has not been adapted for elementary or secondary educators, but its focus on supporting adult mental health as it addresses young childrens' social and emotional functioning holds promise as a strategy for a wider array of adults who work with children and adolescents. Social and Emotional Learning Interventions Over the past three decades, there has emerged a growing consensus among researchers who study child development, education, and health that social and emotional skills are essential to learning and life outcomes.
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From page 67... ...
. Specific social and emotional learning interventions that have been subject to randomized trials, such as the PATHS program, 7 MindUp, 8 RULER, 9 4Rs, 10 Positive Action, 11 Second Step, 12 and Making Choices 13 (see Jones et al., 2017, for a review focused on elementary school programs)
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From page 68... ...
. Schools, early childhood education settings, and out-of-school-time programs provide a unique opportunity to build students' social and emotional skills; address trauma, including that specific to pandemic experiences; and move toward educational equity.
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From page 69... ...
. For example, such programs as Strong African American Families 16 build strength-based factors and assets in parents -- including involved and vigilant parenting; adaptive racial socialization; open, clear, and supportive communication in families; and supportive family relationships -- that can foster resilience in children through increases in youth protective factors (e.g., positive racial identity, future orientation, internalization of parental norms, and values regarding risk-avoidance behaviors)
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From page 70... ...
Supporting students' ongoing social and emotional needs will not only make it easier to address academic fallout in the long run, but will also provide students with the internal resources and external support to cope with what is likely to be an indefinite period of uncertainty and change. Conclusion 3-2: A number of prepandemic intervention strategies and approaches have been shown to effectively address some of the key mechanisms that link exposure to pandemic-related disruption, stress, worry, grief, and bereavement to developmental outcomes.
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From page 71... ...
. Change in caregiver depression as a function of the Strong African American Families Program.
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From page 72... ...
. Early childhood mental health consultation: Results of a statewide random-controlled evaluation.
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From page 73... ...
. Mental Health Consultation in Child Care: Transforming Relationships among Directors, Staff, and Families.
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From page 74... ...
. Impacts on family outcomes of evidence-based early childhood home visiting: Results from the mother and infant home visiting program evaluation.
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From page 75... ...
. Excavating new constructs for family stress theories in the context of everyday life experiences of Black American families.
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From page 76... ...
. Enhancing cognitive and social–emotional development through a simple-to-administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children: A randomized controlled trial.
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From page 77... ...
. Impacts of a prekindergarten program on children's mathematics, language, literacy, executive function, and emotional skills.
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