Posted: Post Date – 02:29 pm, Tuesday – Jun 28, 22
New Delhi: While the Covid-19 pandemic was difficult for everyone, children belonging to the most marginalized section of India were the hardest hit as it led to further isolation, which significantly affected their mental health, according to a report published on Tuesday. Tuesday.
The report by the non-profit organization Save the Children-Bal Raksha Bharat showed an increase in feelings of loneliness, anxiety, anger, grief and sexual and substance abuse among children.
Some 44 percent of children reported that they were unable to share their feelings related to grief, anger or stress with anyone, and three out of four children were unable to share serious concerns such as domestic or spousal violence with anyone.
Isolation from the peer group had a major impact on children’s mental well-being with increased cases of child labor and substance abuse as they struggle to cope with the lack of coping mechanisms to express their feelings and thoughts.
This situation was further aggravated by parents’ perception that children did not go to school and lacked learning opportunities at home (61%).
Most children (39 percent) were worried about death, illness, separation from a loved one, or fear of illness.
Feelings of loneliness (59 per cent) and worry about death, illness, separation or illness (83 per cent) were highest in Karnataka, while disturbed sleep patterns were mostly reported in Delhi (51 per cent). ), while physical fights were highest in Jharkhand (42 per cent).
A significant number of children also reported abuse, noting fear of being alone with a certain person (27 percent), sudden emotional or behavioral changes (27 percent), abandoning previous gambling habits (29 percent), genital problems. /anal lesions (15 percent).
“The lockdown due to Covid 19 not only led to a reduction in socialization between people, but also increased the intensity of the different emotions felt by parents and children. This brought with it a complex set of challenges that had repercussions on the mental health of children and adolescents,” Anindit Roy Chowdhury, director of programs at Save the Children, said in a statement.
For the report, 4,052 respondents (2,743 adults and 1,309 adolescents) spread across 24 districts in six states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Assam, were surveyed between June 2020 and December 2021.
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