American Psychological Association, Updated July 6, 2022
The pandemic pushed stress to historic highs. Here are healthy ways for children and teens to cope.
In the short term, stress can push a child to practice for her piano recital or inspire a teen to study when he’d rather be out with friends. But chronic stress—for example, from unrelenting pandemic-related pressures, social unrest, or violence—is different. Left unchecked, long-term stress can contribute to a long list of physical and mental health problems. Prolonged stress can cause high blood pressure, weaken the immune system and contribute to diseases such as obesity and heart disease. It can also lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression—disorders that are becoming more common in youth.
More than 2 full years into the COVID-19 pandemic, mental illness is at an all-time high—especially among children. In fact, 71% of parents said the pandemic had taken a toll on their child’s mental health, and 69% said the pandemic was the worst thing to happen to their child, according to a 2020 national survey of 1,000 parents facilitated by the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
At the extreme end of the stress scale, more than 200,000 children suffered tragic loss, with COVID-19 claiming one or more of their caregivers.
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