Managing Children's Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategies for Providers and Caregivers

Ying Qi Kang; Tammy S H Lim; Elizabeth Sarah Ragen; Mae Yue Tan; Ramkumar Aishworiya

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.552823

Managing Children's Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategies for Providers and Caregivers

Front Psychiatry. 2020 Nov 12:11:552823. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.552823. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Ying Qi Kang^{1

2}, Tammy S H Lim^{1

2}, Elizabeth Sarah Ragen^{1

2}, Mae Yue Tan^{1

2}, Ramkumar Aishworiya^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
² Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic by virtue of its sudden, unprecedented and widespread nature, has led to a multitude of psychological effects on individuals across societies. This includes anxiety which has important implications on the daily functioning, physical and mental health of individuals. Children are a vulnerable group of the population who can experience anxiety which potentially can lead to long-lasting implications on their health for years to come. It is thus important that their caregivers, including parents and healthcare professionals be aware of strategies that can help with anxiety in children. This article discusses anxiety in children in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines strategies that may be helpful.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; caregivers; children; pandemic.