greater psychological distress among children of essential workers

Garbage collectors, firefighters, cashiers, police officers, carers, etc. During the coronavirus pandemic, more precisely during the strict confinement from March 16 to May 11, 2021, these employees continued their activity in their workplace. According to a study, called “Confeado” and carried out by Public Health France, their profession played a role in the deterioration of the mental health of their children for whom classroom care was not organized. In order to reach this conclusion, 3,898 young people, aged 9 to 18, including 81 in the care of child protection, were recruited. More specifically, the sample was composed of 69.1% girls and 30.9% boys.

In disadvantaged families, children faced Covid-19 and grief

According to the results, this period of isolation did not affect the mental health of all children and adolescents in the same way. Younger employees of so-called “essential” employees suffered from psychological distress more frequently than others. Girls were more affected. As a reminder, the factors associated with severe psychological distress are “spending more than five hours a day on social media, doing less than an hour of schoolwork a day, not having leisure or recreational activities with adults in the household, but also “impossibility for the child or adolescent to be able to isolate themselves in their own room in the house.”

In the case of the young people interviewed and monitored, mental suffering was caused by housing conditions (less possibility of isolating themselves due to lack of space), the impossibility for parents to be present with them at home and more generally to protect yourself from exposure to the virus. Indeed, disadvantaged families had more serious forms and had less use of health services, which led to higher morbidity and mortality from Covid-19 in these households. Thus, children and adolescents coped more with grief.

Young people overwhelmed by homework due to less efficient digital tools

In addition, having to continue working while schools were closed restricted the sharing of communal activities, increased children’s exposure to social media, as well as their feelings of being overwhelmed by homework. In low-income families, this feeling was explained by children’s less access to good quality digital tools to do their homework, as well as by their parents’ less availability.

“In the event of future confinements (whatever the reason), preserving the continuity of education and as soon as possible the return to class of the children of these workers, in reassuring conditions, are two actions which could contribute to limit the feeling of being overwhelmed by schoolwork, exposure to screens and the resulting negative impact on their mental health Protective factors such as the quality of relationships and screen-free activities within the community. family must also be strengthened and promoted by accessible and appropriate information for parents and children”, concluded Public Health France.