How are children coping with COVID-19 health crisis? Analysing their representations of lockdown through drawings

Spain is one of the European countries most affected of COVID-19, and also the one with the most stringent restrictions for children. This study aims to explore how COVID-19 lockdown affects children by analysing 151 drawings from children in lockdown. Findings were represented in four main categories: (1) Activities;(2) Emotions;(3) Socialization;and (4) Academic. The results indicate the need to manage the lockdown situation taking into account also children's voices and by placing greater emphasis on social and inclusive policies to help alleviate the possible effects of the pandemic and the lockdown on them. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The well-being of children in a full lockdown and partial lockdown situation: a comparative perspective

From 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world as we knew it. In the interest of stopping the spread of the pandemic, lockdown periods and social distancing measures were established in many countries at the beginning of that year and these restrictions continued for the following months and years. Moreover, schools from all over the world closed their doors. In this context, the objective of this research was to compare the well-being of children in Spain during full lockdown and partial lockdown periods, as measured by physical, emotional, social, and academic indicators. The 'Well-being of Children in Lockdown' (WCL) scale (Berasategi et al. 2020) was used to measure the well-being of children using these parameters. The results revealed statistically significant differences in the general well-being of children and also in terms of emotions, addictions and playful and creative activities, with greater levels of well-being in these domains being evident in the full lockdown period compared with the partial lockdown period. In contrast, during the partial lockdown period, levels of physical and academic well-being were higher in comparison with those reported during the full lockdown phase. Finally, some theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

How are children coping with COVID-19 health crisis? Analysing their representations of lockdown through drawings

Spain is one of the European countries most affected of COVID-19, and also the one with the most stringent restrictions for children. This study aims to explore how COVID-19 lockdown affects children by analysing 151 drawings from children in lockdown. Findings were represented in four main categories: (1) Activities;(2) Emotions;(3) Socialization;and (4) Academic. The results indicate the need to manage the lockdown situation taking into account also children’s voices and by placing greater emphasis on social and inclusive policies to help alleviate the possible effects of the pandemic and the lockdown on them. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Childhood is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Drawing the COVID-19 pandemic: how do children incorporate the health crisis and its consequences into their everyday thinking?

OBJECTIVE: The general objective of this research was to explore how children understand and represent COVID-19 health crisis in their everyday thinking. DESIGN: This research is based on a qualitative interpretive research methodology that uses 6-12 years children's drawings from San Sebastian (Basque Country, northern of Spain) to collect data. This technique allows children to visualize how they face this situation through a tool that promotes expression of their feelings and representations. RESULTS: A total of 345 drawings were collected, and 949 elements related to the different coded categories were coded. The themes that have arisen were related to symbols of the pandemic (n = 307, 32.34%), emotions (n = 290, 30.55%), actions carried out (n = 258, 27.18%) and socialization (n = 94, 9.90%). No differences by age-range were found. CONCLUSIONS: Children have a realistic representation of the COVID-19 virus and its consequences, which closely resembles the representation shown by the media and society. The children show a good understanding of the new measures and social rules associated with the pandemic. They are also very aware of the need to support their emotions by different spheres (family, educational and social context). Alternative play activities and art-based education must be promoted, avoiding the abuse of screens to reinforce their well-being.

The well-being of children with special needs during the COVID-19 lockdown: academic, emotional, social and physical aspects

Although COVID-19 is being disruptive to all children, the effects are stronger for children with disabilities. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse, from a holistic perspective, the well-being of children with special needs during the total lockdown period in Spain. The ‘Well-being of Children in Lockdown’ (WCL) scale was completed by 1225 parents of which 3.1% (n = 38) had children with special needs. The results reveal the emergence of negative emotions among children with special needs, who were found to be crying more, feeling more nervous than usual, getting more angry and feeling sadder. These children also have more unhealthy habits, eat more than usual, overuse new technology and watch too many TV. Children with special needs scored lower for general well-being than those without these needs, and scored lower also for emotional aspects, playful and creative activities and physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Journal of Special Needs Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reopening of Schools in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Quality of Life of Teachers While Coping with This New Challenge in the North of Spain.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze how teachers perceived their quality of life when coping with the reopening of schools after their closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was carried out with a total sample of 1633 teachers from the Department of Education of the Basque Autonomous Community (Northern Spain), all of the professionals working in different educational centers, from preschool education to university studies, with the average age of 42.02 years (SD = 10.40). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: For this purpose, the Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF was used. RESULTS: The highest values of perceived quality of life were found in the dimension of psychological health, followed by the dimension of physical health, the social relations dimension, and finally, the environmental dimensions. The results also revealed significant differences depending on gender, age, having a chronic illness, or living with someone who has a chronic illness, employment security, and educational sector. CONCLUSION: The study shows that it is important to attend to teachers' health and quality of life, especially older teachers, those with a chronic illness, caregivers, those with job insecurity, and those who teach in preschool education.

The Well-being of children in lock-down: Physical, emotional, social and academic impact.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on societies. In the interest of maintaining social distancing, schools in many countries have closed their doors and children have been confined to their homes. Thus, the objective of the present study was to holistically analyze the well-being of children during a period of full lockdown in Spain, by considering physical, emotional, social, and academic indicators. The scale "Well-being of Children in Lockdown" (WCL) was used to measure the well-being of 1225 children from 2 to 12 years old from Northern Spain. The survey was completed by the parents and was designed to analyze children's well-being in terms of physical, emotional, social and academic aspects. The results suggest that the general well-being of children during lockdown was at an intermediate level. Analysis of the various measures of well-being revealed that the lowest levels were obtained for physical activity, along with creative and playful activities. Girls, younger children, and those who have access to an outdoor space showed the greatest levels of well-being. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the well-being of children and, in particular, how this can be improved amid the current Covid-19 crisis.

Coping with COVID-19: social representations underlying blaming processes and fear.

Objective. This study examines how people socially represent the COVID-19 pandemic in the early stage of the health crisis in Europe. Specifically, this research analyses the days before and immediately after the declaration of the state of emergency in Spain, which resulted in the entire population being placed in lockdown. Design. For this purpose, we used the Grid Elaboration Method for free association elicited by the word "coronavirus". This exercise was completed by 1037 people from Spain. Main Outcome Measures. Responses were analysed using Iramuteq software for lexical analysis. Results. Before the state of emergency and lockdown, there was a repeat of many of the emotional and cognitive patterns seen in previous pandemics such us upward and downward blaming or feelings of anger and emotional fatigue. However, outward blaming patterns towards peers also emerged. Moreover, in the period following lockdown, we noted the emergence of new representations and emotions such as paralyzing distrust or resilience. Similarity analysis revealed that the "fear of pandemic" hides a wide variety of emotions. Conclusion. Understanding the blaming and fear processes that are linked to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain offers us practical implications for coping with the challenge of this new crisis.

Exploring the social and emotional representations used by students from the University of the Basque Country to face the first outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, COVID-19, a new emerging infectious disease (EID), was spread throughout the world, including Europe. Spain, in particular, witnessed a significant outbreak of the pandemic. In consequence, all classes were cancelled and the Government declared a state of emergency, ordering the lockdown of the entire population from March to May. The aim of this research is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the representations of young university students from the University of the Basque Country and their emotional response when the crisis started. A free-association exercise was completed by 503 students from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) (Northern Spain). To analyze the content, the Reinert method was used with the Iramuteq software for lexical analysis. The results showed that students placed COVID-19 at a distance from the self, pointing out issues related to social response and disinformation, while showing concerns for self-related issues that are linked to negative emotions, academic consequences, and potentially close victims. The students' concerns were categorized at four main levels: the communicative-informative level, health-emotional level, community-social level, and academic level. All of this has created overwhelming feelings of nervousness, along with anger and emotional fatigue. These results indicate the necessity for universities to work from a holistic standpoint, not only in terms of responding to academic needs but also from psychological, communicative, social, health, and well-being perspectives.

Struggling to breathe: a qualitative study of children's wellbeing during lockdown in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, including Europe. In order to halt the spread of the pandemic by maintaining social distancing, all children in Spain have been completely confined to their homes, and from March 13th to April 26th they were forbidden from going outdoors at any time. The aim of this research was gather the voices of children in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain in order to examine how they are coping with this health crisis. Design: A sample of 250 Children from a region of Spain aged 3-12 years (mean 7.14) were openly asked about their lockdown activities, needs, and feelings. Main Outcome Measures: Responses were analyzed using Iramuteq software for lexical analysis. Results: Children reported having mixed emotions in lockdown; whilst they are happy and relaxed with their families, they also feel fear, nervousness, worry, loneliness, sadness, boredom, and anger. At a physical level, Children noted it was difficult to be deprived of fresh air for weeks, which also makes them primarily sedentary, and they missed outdoor exercise. Socially, they missed peers and caregivers. Conclusion: This study provides evidence about the need to safeguard children's wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis.