A pandemic that has completely upended lives has led to an increase in anxiety among young people, experts say.
Barnet Pavão-Zuckerman’s 10-year-old daughter worries about her parents when they leave their home in Silver Spring, Maryland, to get groceries.
She’s concerned about her grandparents, too. And, though she’s been busy with virtual playdates and online learning, she’s bothered by the thought that she may never get to see her friends or teacher again in person.
“This is kind of a lot,” the girl told her mom recently.
Her seven-year-old brother is still too young to express how he feels in words. So instead, he screams and storms out of the house. Then, he sits cross-legged in the driveway, taking deep breaths.
“This is truly the most stressful time that they’ve ever experienced,” Barnet said.
A generation of children and teenagers in the US who were born under the specter of international terrorism, raised during an economic recession and educated under the threat of near-constant school shootings is facing yet another trauma: a pandemic that’s already racked up a devastating body count and completely upended their lives.
“All of those environmental factors have led to an increase in anxiety among our young people, and I think this will only add more fuel to the fire,” said Nance Roy, chief clinical officer at the JED Foundation, a not-for-profit that partners with schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health programs…
To read the entire article from The Guardian, click https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/17/us-children-mental-health-coronavirus
