The mental health of children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a perspective from teachers at an Early Childhood Education Unit
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoAO272235481Keywords:
Mental Health, Children, Education, COVID-19Abstract
Introduction: Studies have warned about the damages caused by COVID-19 on the lives of children and adolescents in terms of learning, social relationships, and mental health, as well as on their overall development. Objectives: To understand the teachers’ perceptions of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children at an Early Childhood Education Unit. Method: This is an exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach. The sample consisted of six teachers from a public Early Childhood Education Unit. Data were collected remotely using participant characterization forms and semi-structured interviews, and then characterized through thematic analysis and the theoretical-methodological framework of mental health and psychosocial care were used. Results: The results showed an expanded understanding by teachers about mental health, involving aspects beyond the clinical condition and symptoms. In addition, from the teachers’ perceptions, the school can adopt strategies to promote the children’s mental health and support their families in a scenario full of adversities and difficulties, which have caused a series of damages to the mental health and development of this population. Conclusion: It is expected that this study can contribute not only to the understanding of a new and emerging reality that is being reinvented day after day but also to new reflections and discussions about intervention strategies and public policies aimed at children's mental health.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Brazilian Journal of Occupational Therapy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The “Statement of Responsibility, Copyright and License Agreement” according to the model below must be signed by all the authors and sent during the article submission.
Statement of Responsibility, Copyright and License Agreement
Submission date:
Paper’s Title:
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that:
I participated in the conception of the paper and make public my responsibility for its content.
- All information concerning any source of funding received for the development of this research has been properly disclosed and made available to the editors during the submission.
- There were no connections or agreements between authors and funding sources that constitute any conflict of interest, potential or apparent, that may affect the results of the research.
- If experiments with human or animal subjects were involved all ethical procedures were followed and approved by an Institutional Review Board and that informed consent has been collected and archived when necessary, and the dissemination of images was authorized and I assume full responsibility for it.
- That the manuscript is original and that the research is not in part nor in whole currently submitted to another periodical, either in print or in an electronic format, nor is any other material of my authorship with substantially similar content so submitted.
- If requested, I will provide and cooperate fully in obtaining and providing data on which this text is based, for the editors’ examination.
- I have read and agreed with the terms of the Open Access and License Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY), available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Authors’ full names and signatures list:
