COVID-19 and Child Mental Health, how are children and adolescents in Lagos State adjusting

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 was declared to be a public health emergency by the World Health Organization in January, 2020. The uncontrolled spread and rise in cases eventually transformed it into a global pandemic, with Lagos recording Nigeria’s index case in February 2020.  One year after these incidents, there has been a myriad of life style adjustments to curb the virus and reduce its spread. Concerns were raised about certain groups being more vulnerable as a result of socio-economic status, underlying health issues and age, as such necessary guidelines were mandated. The impact of the lockdowns, and economic challenges as a result of COVID is still an emergent area of research with high rates of psychological distress and increase in mental health disorders being associated with the pandemic. Yet many studies acknowledge that low- and middle-income countries, do not place sufficient emphasis on the impact of COVID on children and adolescents. As the lockdown restrictions are being lifted in Lagos state, social distancing, virtualization of classrooms, and wearing face masks still continue to affect children. This creates a need to assess the short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on children’s overall mental health. This study attempts to fill an identified gap in literature by examining the impact of covid on children and adolescents in Lagos state. The primary objective of this study is to gain knowledge on the lived experiences of children and adolescents with COVID-19 and what effect this has had on their mental health. The study would be carried out using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. While electronic questionnaires would be administered to derive data for statistical inference. Focus group discussions and interviews would also be carried out in schools, from which emerging themes would be analysed. The lack of current and representative epidemiological data on the mental health of Nigerian children continues to be a barrier to advocacy for CAMH policy initiatives.

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