Notes on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the mental health of children and adolescents in Brazil

Abstract

The effects of the Covid 19 pandemic on the world and Brazilian scene affected, in addition to deaths and infections, various sectors of public and social policies, including health, education and social assistance. In education, the classes suspended between March 2020 and August 2021, in most Brazilian municipalities, for physical and social distance and with the necessary sanitary measures to contain the spread of the pandemic, substantially affected students in kindergarten, elementary, high school and college. Considering that most of the students are children/adolescents and young people, in whom they presented great demands for psychological distress and mental health. It is also understood that childhood and adolescence is a peculiar phase of human development, requiring protection and guarantee of their rights by the family, community, society and state for the full maturation of their physical, psychological and social aspects. Therefore, the present work was to present some notes or dimensions of the impacts on the mental health of children and adolescents in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic. These reflections were discussed at the seminar promoted by Violes/ CEAM/ UnB entitled “Return to Schools and Confronting Violence against Children and Adolescents”. This is an exploratory study of a bibliographic review in the platforms: Scielo, Pepsi, Lilacs-Bireme, with a search for descriptors in Portuguese – Brazil: Impacts/Consequences on the mental health of children and adolescents in the Covid 19 pandemic. After the reviews, 13 articles dealing with the topic were chosen, and from these, 3 articles were highlighted, as the latter already brought the reviews of several articles and national and international publications. The inclusion/exclusion criteria of the articles helped in the global view of the theme, which allowed the creation of categories for its analysis, namely: method/type of research; deepening the impacts/consequences on mental and/or psychological health in children and adolescents, highlighting some feelings and behaviors; impacts/consequences on family and school. As a result, it was found that, regardless of the method chosen, the articles point to an increase in psychological distress, with impacts on the mental health of children and adolescents. Economic problems, family conflicts, domestic violence in the family nucleus, together with measures of restriction, confinement and physical and social distance, added to the uncertainties about the disease, fake news, mourning the loss of loved ones, the school requirements of the distance learning caused and the lack of interaction with family and friends, are elements discussed in the articles. With all this scenario experienced in the pandemic weakened and made education and children and adolescents in Brazil even more vulnerable.