A review of the Covid pandemic's impact on children has been carried out by Public Health Scotland (PHS), finding a mostly negative affect on behaviour and mental health.
The review, called 'Are the kids alright?' found a 'substantial' proportion of children sampled have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, according to parents and carers.
The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have had a negative impact on both child and family health, wellbeing and development based on the findings which were gathered through surveys which were released in three rounds.
The surveys received responses from parents and carers of 5,895 children aged 0 to 11 years in Scotland.
Based on the data received, PHS released three separate reports as part of the review focusing on the following:
- Report 1 - Key behaviours in children
- Report 2 - Play, learning and experience of infection control measures
- Report 3 - The experience of parents and carers
All three reports suggested the pandemic was an overall negative experience for children's behaviour and development as well as a negative experience for carers as well.
Dr Debby Wason, Public Health Intelligence Principal at PHS, said: "It is little surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions will have had an impact on the lives of all young people in their families in Scotland.
"Although children are less likely to suffer the direct health consequences of COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic are more likely to have affected their development, health and wellbeing.
“What’s more, the impacts have been felt to a greater extent in families from low-income households. People who were already experiencing social inequalities and other challenges have been most negatively impacted.”
In round three of the survey, around three in 10 children experienced difficulties with their emotions, behaviours and mental health according to carers.
On top of this, the majority of parents reported the pandemic had a negative impact on their own physical and mental health as well.
You can look through the whole survey on the Public Health Scotland website.
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