Children and young people grow up in a period of crisis that generates a lot of stress and fear. The question arises whether we are raising a generation of minors with permanent anxiety problems. ‘A year of crisis has a greater impact on the life of a child than that of an adult.’
‘We are all in this together’ is a statement that we have undoubtedly all heard in the past year. Yet it is only partially true, because the corona crisis does not affect everyone in the same way. For example, the majority of children and young people form an apparently not very vulnerable group because the virus usually makes them less often and less seriously ill.
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‘We are all in this together’ is a statement that we have undoubtedly all heard in the past year. Yet it is only partially true, because the corona crisis does not affect everyone in the same way. For example, the majority of children and young people form an apparently not very vulnerable group because the virus usually makes them less often and less seriously ill. While minors suffer less from their physical health during the pandemic, the same cannot be said about their mental well-being, which is under severe pressure. For example, the waiting lists of some child psychiatries in our country are reaching record lengths and the CLB reports an exponential increase in the number of chat conversations about anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts among young people. Children’s rights commissioner Caroline Vrijens warned earlier this year in her open letter to the Consultation Committee: we must not lose sight of the psychosocial vulnerability of children and young people. Professor of Special Education Steven Gielis (AP Hogeschool) also draws attention to the vulnerability and mental well-being of children and young people: ‘Their brains are still developing, so they function in a different way than adults.’ According to Gielis, it is therefore better not to put children and young people on the same level as adults: ‘This crisis is severe for everyone, but minors do not yet have the relative stability that most adults already have. A year in crisis like that has a greater impact on the life of a child than that of an adult. ” Our children were not so anxious about the crisis, ‘says Evelyn Gulinck, mother of Nils (5), Jorijn (13) and Arnoud (17). My daughter reacted anxiously to the first report last year. The images of the Italian hospitals made a big impression on her. I then reassured her by talking to her. In the meantime, she has had a quarantine period herself after a high-risk contact, during which she has remained very calm. That original fear was nowhere to be seen. ‘Fortunately, Evelyn is not the only parent whose children have little problematic response to the pandemic. Steven Gielis confirms that the vast majority of minors in our country will be spared long-term problems, an opinion he shares with philosopher and psychiatrist Damiaan Denys (University of Amsterdam). ‘In recent years we have been obsessively concerned with our mental well-being in the Western world,’ says the latter. ‘As a result, we risk forgetting that people, and certainly children, are also very resilient.’ Despite the not to be underestimated value of that resilience, the group of people with anxiety disorders has increased in the past year, according to the psychiatrist. ‘There are a lot of patients with anxiety and depression who were not yet dealing with these problems before the corona crisis. At the same time, two independent studies have shown that patients who already struggled with such problems before the crisis are doing better now. ‘ This should come as no surprise, according to the psychiatrist: ‘In our current anxious and requiring control society, individuals with deviant behavior attract less attention. The pathology is less noticeable because the normality has shifted. ”“ I don’t believe that the people who were vulnerable before, now stand out less or are less vulnerable, ”Gielis responds, who disagrees on this point. ‘The group of vulnerable minors has only grown, we notice that in the questions we receive from parents. Those who have not had any problems may now be more vulnerable than before and those who have already struggled with certain problems are now extra vulnerable, ‘he says.’ Fortunately, we have the opportunity to offer our children safe alternatives to the hobbies and social contact that they now have to miss because of the measures, ‘says Evelyn. “But that is not the case with everyone.” It is beyond doubt that the crisis is further exacerbating the already existing inequality between children and young people. “The pandemic generates a lot of stressors that would otherwise not exist,” explains Gielis. ‘Moreover, the protective factors, such as parents and teachers, are weakened because they also have a hard time themselves. Within families that were already struggling anyway, this sum of factors can cause the atmosphere to become even more tense. And children and young people sometimes pay the bill for that. ‘ He also states that it is potentially problematic if minors have the feeling for a long time that they cannot change the tense situation. “They usually don’t yet have the coping strategies to deal with stress properly. They sometimes make up for this lack of control by taking back control of areas they can control, such as their food or their body. That promotes eating disorders and self-injury, ‘he warns. The influence of the school It is more difficult for parents with many worries to support their child and to put stressors into perspective. ‘Nevertheless, parents play a crucial role,’ psychiatrist Denys emphasizes, ‘certainly in a crisis such as this one. The example they set has a profound impact on children. If parents can put stress and fear into perspective, their child can usually do that too. ‘ Conversely, according to the psychiatrist, children easily take over their parents ‘panic.’ As a parent and as a person, I try to view the crisis and the measures in a sober way. I consciously think about how we best deal with it as a family and how I communicate about it to the children. I mainly try to keep the positivity in it, because we have to keep it up, of course, ‘says Evelyn. ‘My youngest son’s school communicates instinctively, which reassures me. That is how she differs from the high school my other two children attend. Their communication is more distant and they emphasize the rules more, which is sometimes hard for me and the children. ” Psychiatrist Denys recognizes the discussion that characterizes the entire corona crisis: ‘We can distinguish two groups: the group that emphasizes control and certainty and the group that emphasizes humanity and quality of life. ‘ According to him, the best solution is to find a middle way, “with respect for the rules, but also the courage to live.” According to Denys, it is especially important not to fall into collective fear. ‘When we are afraid, we want to do everything we can to regain control. The pandemic confirms this: it is difficult for us as a society to accept that we cannot save everyone. We are prepared to give up a lot of freedom for the idea of safety. ‘In primary school De Sterrebloem from Meigem, where Evelyn’s youngest son goes to school, they do everything they can to prevent a culture of fear from developing. “When the municipality argued in favor of introducing a mandatory mouth mask for children under the age of twelve, even before the government introduced that rule, we did not agree,” explains coordinator Ellen De Dapper. “ We wanted to protect the physical and mental well-being and learning ability of our students. ” By consciously handling the measures and communicating about them openly, the school reassures its students. ‘We strictly adhere to the measures, but we don’t put it finger-thick,’ says De Dapper. ‘By talking openly with our students and explaining why the rules are in place, we stimulate their sense of responsibility. This way we don’t have to point the finger all the time and we make things negotiable. ‘Gielis applauds this approach, not only because children remain calmer under the circumstances, but also because the school safeguards the well-being of its students:’ If children notice that everything can be discussed at school, there is a greater chance that possible problems will be picked up from the home context and that action can be taken in time. ‘ According to him, this can prevent a problem from developing into a disorder. Gielis, like Denys, emphasizes that it will only become apparent after the crisis how many children and young people will have lasting problems from the pandemic. Although, according to the experts, no fear generation is in the works, Gielis does expect that the group of children and young people with problems and disorders will have grown. “I fear there will be more eating and anxiety disorders, more sleep problems, more depression, more self-harm, more thoughts and attempts and more suicides,” said Gielis. ‘It will come down to focusing on the mental well-being of children and young people in the weeks, months and years after the crisis.’ If you need a conversation, you can contact the Suicide Line on the number 1813 or via www.zelfmoord1813.be
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