Introduction
COVID-19 is one of the natural disasters that is detrimental to human physical and mental well-being. The condition is associated with fever and cough and can sometimes progress to severe symptoms, causing death. Children and adults are susceptible to COVID-19, making effective medical and non-medical interventions necessary.
However, children are less likely to contract the virus than adults. Therefore, the condition’s physical and psychological impacts are less severe among children. While children can contract COVID-19 less than adults, effective pediatric interventions are crucial to counter the condition’s physical and mental impacts on them.
Background Information
Mental and physical wellness are primary for children’s survival in changing environmental and economic conditions. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, believed to have originated in China (Chu et al., 2021). The disease has physical and negative impacts on patients, including children.
According to COVID-NET (2023), the number of children affected by the disease is less than that of adults. The hospitalization rate for children is estimated at 3.8 per 100,000 for the 0-4 age group and 1 per 100,000 for the 5-11 age group (Oster, 2022). Therefore, the effects of the disease in children are less severe than in adults.
Although a few children contract COVID-19, the physical and mental impacts are evident. The physical impact on children includes difficulties in breathing and other respiratory-related problems. McCormick et al. (2021) established that the children’s and adolescent mortality rates increased with the emergence of COVID-19.
On the other hand, psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety are common among hospitalized children (Chu et al., 2021). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2022) showed that global orphanhood associated with the diseases was exacerbated due to the death of many adult parents. The physical and mental impacts of COVID-19 are detrimental to children’s wellness.
Nursing Metaparadigms
Erikson’s stages of development can be applied to understand the severity of COVID-19’s impacts on children. According to the theory, individuals grow in a sequence that occurs over time and in the larger community context. The theory fits children in the first five stages of psychosocial development: infancy, early childhood, preschool, school age, and adolescence (Cherry, 2022).
The majority of children fit in the stage of “infancy versus inferiority,” where they strive to gain new skills and a sense of competence in society. Additionally, the stage of “identity versus role confusion” allows children to gain social relationships with their families and those around them (Chu et al., 2021). COVID-19 impacts make it difficult for children to achieve desired outcomes during each of Erikson’s stages of development.
During the emergence of COVID-19, various factors impacted children’s outcomes during each developmental stage. For instance, the closure of schools due to social distancing regulations impacted children’s need for competency in schools (Cherry, 2022). According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (2020), more than 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling.
Meanwhile, in terms of the impact on the need for social relationships, the death of parents and associated psychological downturns affected children’s relations with others. Data by the CDC (2022) shows that about 10.5 million children were left orphans following the emergence of the disease. COVID-19 encumbered children’s development, negatively impacting their social relationships.
Four key concepts of nursing meta paradigms, person, health, environment, and nursing, provide a framework for understanding nurses’ roles in addressing COVID-19’s physical and psychological impacts on children. For the concept of person, nurses ought to identify the unique needs of children, such as the contraction of other diseases, when treating them (Kola et al., 2021). The health metaparadigm allows nurses to consider the symptoms and signs of diseases among children (Kola et al., 2021).
Although minors show milder COVID-19 symptoms, effective interventions can prevent deaths and other severe effects. The environment involves the physical context in which care is provided. Children in less advantaged communities need special attention due to insufficient resources (Carroll et al., 2020). The nursing metaparadigm concept promotes the integration of various physical and social interventions when treating COVID-19 patients. Addressing COVID-19 impacts among children is crucial for their wellness.
Evidence-Based Knowledge
Supporting Arguments
COVID-19 is associated with physical and psychological impacts on children. Firstly, the conditions manifest themselves in a manner that affects the respiratory system of the children, causing them physical pain. Kuitunen et al. (2020) found that Finnish children who were hospitalized with the condition exhibited respiratory tract problems. The infections affected the children’s internal organs, such as the lungs and trachea (Chu et al., 2021).
Secondly, COVID-19 led to the death of parents and caregivers who provided social and economic support to children. Consequently, the many orphanages associated with the disease were detrimental to children’s psychological well-being. The loss of family members by children caused increased depression and emotional distress among them. Therefore, COVID-19 caused physical and emotional pain among children at the global level.
Arguments Against
COVID-19 did not have physical or emotional impacts on children’s health to some extent. Firstly, the condition was least severe among children, presenting milder symptoms such as cough, fever, and fatigue (Carroll et al., 2020). According to Oster (2022), only 4.8 children ages 0-11 were affected by the disease for every 100,000 population. Therefore, COVID-19’s physical impact on children was nearly insignificant.
Secondly, the presence of a resilient and supportive environment for children significantly reduced the disease’s impact on them (Chu et al., 2021). For instance, the majority of children were under the care of their parents, who offered medical insurance and emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the personal characteristics and social environment during the pandemic, children exhibited no emotional or physical impacts of COVID-19.
Personal Stand
Although the presented data above on COVID-19 shows that it has least affected children, I believe that its social impacts were great. Following the emergence of the pandemic, governments adopted strict control measures. For instance, many schools and areas of entertainment were shut down during the pandemic (Kola et al., 2021).
Consequently, many children had limited interactive activities, which are essential for their growth and development. Unlike adults who had access to social media platforms where they could interact with others, children were forced to stay at home with limited access to the internet (Chu et al., 2021). Although COVID-19 greatly affected adults, its social impacts on children were significant.
Recommendations
Various interventions can help reduce the physical and psychological impacts of COVID-19 among children. Adoption of health policies that promote children’s well-being can be crucial in countering the issue. For instance, governments can formulate policies that provide free medical support and treatment for COVID-19-infected children (Carroll et al., 2020).
The policy will reduce the medical cost burden, especially on disadvantaged families. Moreover, improved COVID-19 awareness among mothers can help mitigate its effects at the early stages. Through the awareness campaigns, the mothers can gain skills and knowledge on how to identify COVID-19 symptoms and take appropriate courses of action.
Implementation of the two recommendations will help alleviate the physical and mental health problems associated with COVID-19 among children. Information on public participation in policy formulation, preventive mechanisms, and COVID-19 symptom identification may be relayed to the target population. When sharing information, a family-centered strategy can be adopted (Cherry, 2022).
The approach will involve using communication media that reach populations of all ages. For example, integrating campaigns into children’s television programs may help. Similarly, maternity centers can be encouraged to offer compulsory COVID-19 awareness to pregnant women and those who have delivered (Kola et al., 2021). Addressing diseases is crucial for social growth and development.
Resources Availability
In Canada, COVID-19 among children has been effectively addressed through the utilization of the available resources. The Canadian government has developed a database that tracks the disease’s spread across all ages (Carroll et al., 2020). The data is then utilized to determine areas and communities that need urgent attention.
Another resource available in Canada that has helped in countering the disease is advanced medical technology (Kola et al., 2021). This latter resource has been utilized for medical research activities. Vaccinations against diseases have continued to be developed in the country in collaboration with global firms such as AstraZeneca Canada. Furthermore, the mainstream media has helped communicate suggested measures that parents can adopt to reduce the impacts of the condition.
Conclusion
COVID-19 presented physical and psychological impacts on children, encumbering their social interactions. The symptoms associated with the diseases led to physical pain among the victim-children. Meanwhile, the death of parents and limited social interactions negatively affected children’s mental wellness. However, the diseases had less severe impacts on children than on adults. Formulating health policies that favor children and raising public awareness of COVID-19’s effects can help mitigate its physical and psychological consequences.
References
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