Taking a closer look at children’s mental health after Covid-19

Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter

COVID-19 came with a lot of disruptions to the lives of children and while may parents and guardians were worried about their educational needs during the “new normal”, the greatest damage might have been to their mental health, as the grief, fear, uncertainty, social isolation, increased screen time and parental fatigue affected their mental health.

These were the observations of Rebecca Mukombe, a therapist and child development specialist, during an event organised by Inspired to Inspire’s Patience Kufah and Priscilla Komboni, two mental health advocates who worked in conjunction with the Purple Hearts Foundation on this particular occasion.

According to the organisers, the event was meant to “raise awareness about mental health continuum, reduce stigma associated with mental illness and promote help seeking behaviour and emotional well-being practices, especially after two years of the Covid-19 era.”

In her speech, Mukombe said children were silent victims of a pandemic that they were thought to be largely immune from.

“The unexpected disruption of the social fabric and norms affected the behavioural and mental health of the public, especially children. The common symptoms being, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, insomnia, respiratory problems and palpitations.

“Due to the closing of schools, students’ interaction and communication with schoolmates, play, exercise and peer activities were hindered, activities that have proven vital for the growth, development and learning of the young minds,” she said.

She encouraged parents to help their children by seeking to understand their concerns, support them through mistakes and challenges, explain to them that no matter what they go through, they can always lean on their parent’s shoulder and without pushing, encourage them to talk by asking what they think about the situation that is upsetting them.

“By helping them verbalise their questions and fear, we are letting them know we intend to go through anything with them. Let your children’s questions guide you, they always feel empowered if they can control some aspects of their life, and a sense of control reduces fear,” she said.

Another speaker, Lucy Ikemefuna, focused on children with special needs.

“No matter what condition your child has, do not be ashamed to walk around with them, do activities with them and let them experience the nature’s love. It is good for your mental health as a parent and for your child’s mental health,” she said.

Another speaker, Sharon Chikwanha, Gender-Based Violence and mental health advocate and founder of Blooming Minds Foundation, related her personal experience of Complex Trauma from the time she was eight-years-old and how she was exposed to multiple traumatic events, both severe and pervasive.

The event was concluded with a little mental health game, where guests had to voluntarily write their fears on a paper and to burn those fears in fire.