One of the common problems encountered during the intense pandemic period was the fears and anxieties seen in children. Stating that separation anxiety, fear of death and fear of getting infected are frequently seen with the pandemic, experts point out that many psychiatric disorders begin in adolescence. According to experts, other daily issues, short and long-term plans should be discussed at home, not the pandemic.
Üsküdar University NP Feneryolu Medical Center Clinical Psychologist Duygu Barlas gave important advice to parents on how to manage the fears and anxieties seen in children during the pandemic.
"Children should be allowed to express themselves"
Stating that children are more sensitive to their parents' concerns, news and environmental concerns during the pandemic period, Duygu Barlas said, "With the pandemic, we can say that separation anxiety, fear of death and anxiety of getting infected have become more frequent. First of all, as always, no matter what fear the child is experiencing, parents should help their children identify and express their feelings. Then the child's main fear should be revealed. For example, the main fear of a child who is afraid of sleeping separately in this period may be the fear that something will happen to his/her mother when he/she is separated, or it may be just the fear of being in the dark. Determining the basic fear will help parents to decide which attitude to adopt." He said.
"It should be emphasized that the pandemic is not permanent"
Barlas said that staying away from routines that involve rapid and excessive change will help children manage their anxiety better and continued his words as follows:
"Apart from the steps of identifying emotions and determining the main fear, parents of children who experience fear during the pandemic period need to implement normalization routines step by step. Parents should definitely share their changing routines with their children and get their opinion. Another point they should pay attention to is to emphasize that this situation is not permanent. Children should be informed that situations such as pandemics may occur in some periods, but that people have the necessary equipment to cope with such situations. At the same time, positive developments related to the pandemic should be shared with children every day."
"Children's communication with the environment should be increased"
Stating that it would be healthy to discuss not only the pandemic but also other daily issues, short and long-term plans at home, Barlas said, "Considering the effects of social learning on the child, of course, parents need to manage their anxiety in a healthy way. Knowing that his/her parents are also anxious will make the child think that he/she is not alone, and as he/she sees that anxiety is controlled, he/she will learn this and apply it himself/herself. Parents can share that they are anxious, but the most important thing is to show how they manage this anxiety and be a model for their children. Children learn from actions rather than words. In addition, it is important for parents to increase these communications during the pandemic period, as staying in contact with teachers, friends and relatives close to their age will give confidence to the child." He said.
Anxieties can turn into psychiatric disorders!
Pointing out that the anxieties experienced during this period may evolve into a psychiatric disorder called obsessive-compulsive disorder in the future, Barlas said, "However, many factors play a role in this evolution process. Age, gender, parental attitude, having a close family member with a psychiatric history are some of them. For example, a child whose mother has an obsessive-compulsive disorder is more likely to develop obsessive-compulsive disorder than a child whose mother does not have this disease. Another factor is that the child had various obsessions before the pandemic. It is possible that a child who had obsessions before the pandemic period may increase their obsessions more during the pandemic period and start to negatively affect their life." He said.
"Psychiatric disorders start in adolescence"
Clinical Psychologist Duygu Barlas said that the age factor is also important in psychiatric disorders and continued her words as follows:
"It is known that the onset period of many psychiatric disorders is pre-adolescence and adolescence. In this respect, if the child is in one of these periods and shows more obsessions than his/her peers and negatively affects his/her life, it may evolve into a disorder. The attitudes of parents towards anxiety play a very important role in the process of turning into a disorder. A parent who has difficulty distinguishing their child's anxiety from normal anxiety, a parent who ignores anxiety, or a parent who perceives normal anxiety as exaggerated should be careful. If their children have any of these risk factors, it will be important for them to seek expert help for early treatment. There is not much parents can do about factors such as age and genetics."
Comments such as 'forget it', 'don't exaggerate' should not be made!
Stating that if the child has anxiety and obsession, the details of anxiety and obsession should be learned without ridicule and judgment, Barlas said, "How negatively this obsession and anxiety affects the child's life, how the child interprets them and how long they have been there should be learned by talking. No early and severe exposure should be applied to the child to make him/her give up his/her obsessions. An expert should be consulted for exposure practices. Comments such as 'never mind, don't exaggerate' should not be made against the child's obsessions. Professional help should be sought by explaining that obsessions can occur in many people and that sometimes in such cases it is necessary to get help from a specialist." He said.
