“Younger people have been affected psychologically by the pandemic more than other age groups. In the beginning, children were not affected so much compared to adolescents and young adults. Now children are getting worse,” says Dr. Barbara Juen, technical manager of the psychosocial services at the Austrian Red Cross and scientific advisor to ENPS and IFRC PS Centre.
Sleeping, eating and moving during COVID-19.
In a research update for European National Societies, the main areas of intervention to improve the well-being of children and adolescents were to support children to sleep well, eat properly and encourage physical exercise. Dr. Barbara Juen, researcher at the University of Innsbruck/Austria, also stresses the urgency of creating safe spaces for children to be active and socialize. Dr. Silvia Excenberger presents data on children’s well-being, both self-reported and from mothers, comparing research collected in March and December of 2020.
How are children and adolescents doing during COVID-19?