The lockdowns in the wake of the coronavirus left their mark in 2020 and 2021.
As a new study shows, the consequences for children are particularly terrifying.
Berlin - The corona lockdowns will probably be remembered for a long time by everyone.
Public life in Germany and the world stood still for weeks, sometimes even for months.
According to the latest scientific findings, the children who had to spend many hours at home due to closed kindergartens, schools and leisure activities suffered from this time.
Lockdown during corona pandemic: Mental illnesses among children on the rise
During this period, the number of cases of depression, anxiety, loneliness and, in isolated cases, even self-endangerment increased among adolescents.
This goes back to a report by the aid organization
Save the Children
, which refers to data from the “Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Trackers”.
In total, the data from more than 13,000 children were included in the report.
83 percent of the children surveyed said that they experienced an increase in negative feelings during the pandemic; if schools were closed for 17 weeks, the numbers were even higher (96 percent).
In industrialized countries like Germany, half of these mental illnesses were left untreated; in less developed countries, the numbers skyrocketed to 76 to 86 percent.
Although the measures were important to contain the coronavirus, the social isolation could trigger anxiety and depression in the children, argues Marie Dahl, the head of the mental health department at
Save the
Children
.
"If there is no reaction here, long-term consequences can arise - even if the restrictions are lifted."
Mental Illness In Children: Governments A Duty
On average, children have lived under legal closings or restrictions on 184 days since the pandemic began in spring 2020, the report said. In high-income countries, such as Canada, some children had to spend 402 days or 13 months at home. In Europe, the average is slightly lower, with a majority of nine months being spent at home.
Finally, the report also focuses on the irregularity of online teaching.
This would not only affect the social interactions between the children, but also their sleep and general well-being.
Save the Children
therefore sees the governments of the countries as having an obligation.
These should give priority to the mental health and regulated learning of children during and after the pandemic and invest accordingly in adolescents.
(dpa)
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