VANCOUVER -- The novel coronavirus has certainly brought changes to everyday life, and for kids, it can be challenging to understand those adjustment while also managing stress.
Jennifer Shapka, a developmental psychologist, shared some tips with CTV Morning Live on how to help kids manage anxiety during the COVID-19 crisis.
Below is part of a four-minute interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Jason Pires: We know kids are very observant, so how important is it for parents to manage their own anxiety first?
Jennifer Shapka: We do know that kids, especially younger kids, tend to be quite in-tune with their parents' emotions, so they look to their parents to get cues about what's happening in the world. This means we're in a classic situation where parents really need to be metaphorically putting their own mask on first, before helping their child.
That means it's really important for parents during this time to try and manage their own stress levels and their own mental health, but also really to recognize that it's really hard time and to have as much empathy and compassion as possible.
Keri Adams: How do you open a dialogue with younger kids?
Shapka: It's really important to make sure to talk to kids about what's happening, regardless of whether you think they're stressed or not. I think not talking about it will just make it seem more mysterious and feel scarier.
So how to do it? I think start with asking questions and find out what your child knows. Make sure to address any myths that they have about it. The other thing is to make sure to talk at their level. So for younger kids these would mean talking in very concrete, simple ways about COVID. For older kids, you can talk about it in more detail, more complicated ways.
I think if you're a frontline worker, your child might also have additional concerns and questions so it would probably be a really good idea to acknowledge that worry and fear, and also go over all the precautions you take to keep yourself safe while at work.
I think the bottom line is that you help your kids walk away with a reassurance that they're safe.
Adams: How do you feel about kids getting their information from the internet?
Shapka: First, I think it's really important to talk to teenagers about media literacy and about how not all information online is good information.
The other thing is if kids are spending too much time reading or watching news about COVID, it's probably really anxiety-inducing, and so in this case it might be good to help them recognize the stress that it might be causing and then to help them come up with a plan to reduce their exposure to the information they're seeing.
Pires: How important is routine? And what's your recommendation for kids who are anxious about getting close to people because of physical distancing?
Shapka: I think a routine is incredibly important, especially for younger kids or kids with exceptionalities. At a basic level I would aim to keep as much to a typical schedule as possible, keep weekdays and weekends separate to give kids a sense of what to expect.
I would aim for a balance or a range of activities that you actually schedule. We know that screen time is likely really high right now, especially for kids that are doing schooling online. This is fine, let's not beat ourselves up, but having a schedule is a good way to incorporate some balance. So make sure to schedule non-screen activities like puzzles, games, exercise and even some socially distant outdoor activities if that's possible.
Adams: What is the long-term impact that these uncertain times may be having on our children?
Shapka: My hunch is that most kids will be resilient to this. In fact, some might be spending more time with their parents and family than ever before.
The kids I worry about are the ones that had pre-existing mental health issues or were at risk for developing depression or anxiety. So I do think if your child's at risk or they do seem down or particularly anxious, I do think it's really important to reach out to online counselling supports.
