Minors and lockdowns, for six out of ten anxiety and regression
2020-06-16T10:19:55.373Z
65% of children under 6 and 71% of those over 6 due to the lockdown for coronavirus have experienced behavioral problems of various nature and symptoms of regression. The youngest, under 6 years, showed (hundreds of cases) episodes of irritability, difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, anxiety, separation anxiety, fear of the dark, inconsolable crying. The older ones, young people and adolescents, in a larger absolute number, showed a feeling of shortness of breath, difficulty falling asleep and difficulty waking up, irritability / change of mood, improper use of the media, poor collaboration in domestic activities. This is what emerges from the investigation on the psychological and behavioral impact of lockdown in children and adolescents in Italy, conducted by the Gaslini pediatric hospital in Genoa during isolation at home, between March 24 and April 3, at three weeks of distance from the start of the lockdown. 6,800 families responded to the survey, including 3245 with children under 18 (1570 under 6 years and 2733 others). "Especially in adolescents, the survey dramatically shows the 'you deprived us of being with others Taking care precedes taking care: in taking care, the ability to build relationships is fundamental and for this reason Gaslini immediately activated the 'Hello how are you?' Program in the lockdown, with a listening desk, promoting the collection of drawings, and- emails and contributions, organizing entertainment and animation activities. The children did not need first aid, on the contrary, but they were alone at home and they needed us: we did not leave them alone ", explained the general manager of the Gaslini hospital , Paolo Petralia. "Families with children under 6 gave important answers: irritability, difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, anxiety, separation anxiety, fear of the dark, inconsolable crying. It tells us how the lockdown has really affected children, even with symptoms of behavioral regression. "I'm afraid" and "ugly" were the words most used by children in their drawings to represent the virus. It is the evidence of a new request for help, a new health need ". "In children and youngsters over 6 years instead - continued Petralia - there is an evident shift in sleep-wake rhythms, with very important difficulties in recovering this behavior, but also a feeling of shortness of breath, difficulty falling asleep and struggling to wake up, irritability / change of mood, improper use of the media, poor collaboration in domestic activities ". "It is a study that becomes de facto national in the meaning of a possible utility, response and contribution for all those who want to use it for further information. At Gaslini we will activate an outpatient psychological and neuropsychiatric outpatient service, just to give a response to the need that has become clear. In the face of evidence that tells us what the problems are, we must be able to give answers: data that we will no longer be able to collect and we must treasure to give adequate answers and not leave our children alone ", concluded the general manager of the Gaslini hospital. "The research confirms us fears, fears, clues that we had", underlined the Undersecretary for Health Sandra Zampa: "In recent months there has often been discussions, also controversially and together rightly, on the issue of lockdown and the condition of children, of a greater fragility, even with conflicting opinions. Someone said that children had a great resilience and were able to respond better than we thought. However, we knew we were somehow hitting their lives in a heavier way than adults ". "It is important not only that a child knows how to wash his hands, but also that he can defend himself from the coronavirus. The investigation - continued Zampa - confirms that having been kept so forced in the house, without friends, without if not at a distance, without ever seeing grandparents and uncles again and without that series of habits that are an element of safety, many of them have produced consequences ". "Today we send a message to the children and adolescents: thank you, you too have contributed enormously to the result, you have protected your family members. But also a great reassurance: their health is at the top of all our concerns. Italy he is still fighting, on a scientific level, on the vaccine: there is therefore the possibility of defending himself, fighting and winning even the battles on the virus ", concluded the undersecretary. For the psychiatrist Fabrizio Starace, a member of Vittorio Colao's task force, the research data "are not surprising and confirm the extent of this phenomenon, felt by all the Italian families in which minor children are present. It is a further incentive to recover earlier, albeit with all safety measures, the possibility of direct interaction between young people and a relationship between equals. To quickly recover from these disorders, the first thing is to define a daily routine, which includes play and physical activities " .
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June 16, 2020 65% of children under 6 and 71% of those over 6 due to the lockdown for coronavirus have experienced behavioral problems of various kinds and symptoms of regression. The youngest, under 6 years, showed (hundreds of cases) episodes of irritability, difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, anxiety, separation anxiety, fear of the dark, inconsolable crying. The older ones, young people and adolescents, in a larger absolute number, showed a feeling of shortness of breath, difficulty falling asleep and difficulty waking up, irritability / change of mood, improper use of the media, poor collaboration in domestic activities. This is what emerges from the investigation on the psychological and behavioral impact of lockdown in children and adolescents in Italy, conducted by the Gaslini pediatric hospital in Genoa during isolation at home, between March 24 and April 3, at three weeks of distance from the start of the lockdown. 6,800 families responded to the survey, including 3245 with children under 18 (1570 under 6 and 2733 others). "Especially in adolescents, the survey dramatically shows the 'you deprived us of being with others Taking care precedes taking care: in taking care the ability to build relationships is fundamental and for this reason Gaslini in the lockdown immediately activated the 'Hello how are you?' Program, with a listening desk, favoring the collection of drawings, and- emails and contributions, organizing entertainment and animation activities. The children did not need first aid, on the contrary, but they were alone at home and they needed us: we did not leave them alone ", explained the general manager of the Gaslini hospital , Paolo Petralia. "Families with children under 6 years gave important answers: irritability, difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, anxiety, separation anxiety, fear of the dark, inconsolable crying. It tells us how the lockdown has really affected children, even with symptoms of behavioral regression. "I'm afraid" and "ugly" were the words most used by children in their drawings to represent the virus. It is the evidence of a new request for help, a new health need ". "In children and youngsters over 6 years instead - continued Petralia - there is an evident shift in sleep-wake rhythms, with very important difficulties in recovering this behavior, but also a feeling of shortness of breath, difficulty falling asleep and struggling to wake up, irritability / change of mood, improper use of the media, poor collaboration in domestic activities ". "It is a study that becomes de facto national in the meaning of a possible utility, response and contribution for all those who want to use it for further information. At Gaslini we will activate an outpatient psychological and neuropsychiatric outpatient service, just to give a response to the need that has become clear. In the face of evidence that tells us what the problems are, we must be able to give answers: data that we will no longer be able to collect and we must treasure to give adequate answers and not leave our children alone ", concluded the general manager of the Gaslini hospital. "The research confirms us fears, fears, clues that we had", underlined the Undersecretary for Health Sandra Zampa: "In recent months there has often been discussions, also controversially and together rightly, on the issue of lockdown and the condition of children, of a greater fragility, even with conflicting opinions. Someone said that children had a great resilience and were able to respond better than we thought. However, we knew we were somehow hitting their lives in a heavier way than adults ". "It is important not only that a child knows how to wash his hands, but also that he can defend himself from the coronavirus. The investigation - continued Zampa - confirms that having been kept so forced in the house, without friends, without if not at a distance, without ever seeing grandparents and uncles again and without that series of habits that are an element of safety, many of them have produced consequences ". "Today we send a message to the children and adolescents: thank you, you too have contributed enormously to the result, you have protected your family members. But also a great reassurance: their health is at the top of all our concerns. Italy he is still fighting, on a scientific level, on the vaccine: there is therefore the possibility of defending himself, fighting and winning even the battles on the virus ", concluded the undersecretary. For the psychiatrist Fabrizio Starace, a member of Vittorio Colao's task force, the research data "are not surprising and confirm the extent of this phenomenon, felt by all the Italian families in which minor children are present. It is a further incentive to recover sooner, albeit with all safety measures, the possibility of direct interaction between young people and a relationship between equals. To quickly recover from these disorders, the first thing is to define a daily routine, which includes play and physical activities " .
