The tantrums and tears impacting our children
FOUR in five parents have seen damaging behavioural changes in their children during this lockdown, according to a new survey.
They include sleeplessness, tantrums and sadness.
Broadcaster Dr Ciara Kelly said she is not surprised by the survey results, and psychotherapist and author Joanna Fortune said families are suffering more in this lockdown than during previous ones.
Over 900 people responded to the survey and 90% of parents said they saw an emotional impact on their children. The main issues were mood swings, anxiety, sleep issues and anger.
The survey, conducted online by two parents in West Cork, also highlighted the stresses on parents who are balancing working, schooling and parenting during the Level 5 lockdown. A quarter of all parents said they felt unable to cope at times.
Dr Kelly said that she was not surprised by the results, adding that the effect of the health pandemic on children is still unknown and is probably underestimated. She also said that it will likely have a long-term effect.
‘We will have to work to reintroduce normality and we need to take it seriously and put new steps in place to help them,’ she said.
Ms Fortune said the findings reflect what many of us are seeing during lockdown.
‘Families are struggling in this lockdown period more than previously. The struggle is likely intensified by variables such as the darker, colder days and the fact that we are still dealing with lockdowns after one year, and families are fatigued at this point,’ she said.
‘When young children are emotionally stressed, we often see them use overt behaviours as a way of expressing that struggle. This might be especially evident in changes in sleeping, eating and toileting behaviours in young children, because when so much in their lives is beyond their control, these are aspects of their lives they can exert control [over].’ Ms Fortune added: ‘As our children begin to return to school, I am advocating for increased access to play, both in school and outside of school, with lots of time outdoors reconnecting with peers and using play as the best form of communication children have for releasing tension and making sense of their world and their experiences.’
The two parents behind the study, Deirdre Kingston and Anthony Muldoon, decided to create and circulate the online survey to discover how parents were dealing with the lockdown.
The sample size of the survey was 942 and it took place over five days last month, from February 17 to 22.
Main issues include anxiety and anger