Researchers from the School of Nursing and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia published a paper called Pediatric Nursing, which found negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents’ psychological well-being.
Credit: Kylie CooperResearchers from the School of Nursing and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia published a paper showing the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents’ psychological well-being.
The paper, published in Pediatric Nursing, follows case studies of two children to explore how their mental health was impacted by COVID-19. The authors, which include Nursing faculty members, used their findings from the two case studies to show that children and adolescents are affected differently by COVID-19 than adults.
“Using two case studies to frame this really points out issues we’re all experiencing,” Penn Nursing lecturer Marcus Henderson told Penn Today. “People can start to understand, ‘Wow, this is what my child used to have and now they don’t. This could happen to them. They could develop a mental health problem.’”
One of the children studied, a nine-year-old named Alex, was cut off from mental health services that help him manage his ADHD, making it more difficult to manage, Penn Today reported.
A 16-year-old named Cristina, the study found, was separated from her social network, creating additional stress and anxiety. Cristina attempted suicide before reaching out to a mental health professional. Even then, the study found, she found it difficult to get an appointment because of insurance restrictions and appointment availability.
Several healthcare providers and school officials have reported increased suicide deaths and suicide attempts among children and teenagers since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Henderson told Penn Today that the structural racism children of color face has exacerbated the crisis as an additional stressor.
According to the paper, nurses will be integral for providing care to affected children and teens during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pediatric nurses interact with children across all walks of life and where they are in the care setting,” Henderson told Penn Today. “They’re well-positioned to assess and intervene, and it’s their responsibility to provide that support for children.”
Students and faculty from Penn Nursing have previously called for increased resources and support for mental health in healthcare systems.
Henderson told Penn Today that he and his colleagues are working on how to address the challenges children and teens face that have been worsened by the pandemic.
"Adults get to a point where they're not going to change much," Henderson said. "But we can help change the trajectory of a child."
Campus Resources:
Reach–A–Peer Hotline: 215–573–2727 (every day from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., texting available 24/7): A peer hotline to provide peer support, information, and referrals to Penn students.
Special Services: 215-898-6600 Special Services offers comprehensive victim support for any member of the University community who experiences interpersonal violence. Special Services has advocates on call 24-hours a day who provide options counseling, hospital and court accompaniment, and take formal police reports.
Student Health Service: 215–746–3535 Student Health Service can provide medical evaluations and treatment to victims/survivors of sexual violence, regardless of whether they make an official report or seek additional resources.
Counseling and Psychological Services: 215–898–7021 (active 24/7) The counseling center for the University of Pennsylvania. They have a dedicated Sexual Trauma Treatment Outreach and Prevention (STTOP) team to provide support specifically related to sexual violence and abuse.
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