Life has been challenging for us all during the past year and there is no doubt that it has impacted on people’s mental wellbeing. However research shows that the impact of the pandemic and the restrictions that were placed on normal daily activities has been particularly detrimental to children’s and young people’ mental wellbeing.
Whilst some children and young people reported enjoying spending time at home with their family the negative impacts appear to outweigh the positive impacts for many.
A recent survey (January 2021) to which nearly twenty thousand children and young people aged 7-18 years across Wales responded to, reports that:
If your child is too young to remember the world before the pandemic, you may be concerned about their general development including their ability to mix and get along with other children when the world returns to normal. Advice is available on how to support your child’s development and how to help them to build positive relationships can be found here:
https://gov.wales/parenting-give-it-time/your-childs-development
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/look-say-sing-play/
Your worries may differ depending on the age of your child, however as a parent and carer there are things you can do in general to support your child’s mental wellbeing.
If you think your child is struggling with their mental health and you feel they would benefit from support, information about organisations that can help you is available through this link.