University seeks views on impact of pandemic on children

Parents and caregivers are asked to share their experiences of how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting their children’s lives.

A study by the School of Health in Social Science at the University of Edinburgh will seek to better understand how changes in home life have impacted children aged 1-5 years.

The UK Covid-19 Unmasked study will explore topics including daily routines, disruptive behaviours and disturbed sleep to examine how children are coping with the pandemic.

It will also examine how caregivers are coping and supporting young people.

The study is part of a larger project involving nine different countries.

Information is being gathered in Australia, Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Researchers say the vital insights that families provide will enable them to assess the impacts of Covid-19 on young children, and also help to inform interventions and policymaking.

Dr Karen Goodall, Department of Clinical Psychology, said: “We tend to think that young children are resilient because they are often shielded from the full effects of negative events, but the period from 1-5 years is really critical in terms of development. What happens to children at this age can have a longer-term impact.”

The international project is led by Dr Alex de Young at the Children’s Health Queensland Hospital in Australia.

Link to survey – https://edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d5V5ggXlfNLzizX