Cuban scientists focus on the psychological effects caused by COVID-19

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 31 (ACN) A new meeting between the Cuban president and the PM with experts and scientists who have participated in the fight against the epidemic for more than a year was held on Tuesday to learn about the comprehensive care that has been offered in the country to children, adolescents and young people in response to the COVID-19.

Protecting and caring for our children, not only from the damage caused to their health by COVID-19, but also from the emotional effects that the epidemic may cause in them, has also been a constant challenge for the Cuban scientific community from the first moment the disease outbroke our national borders.

After listening to the explanation made by several specialists on the results that have been obtained so far in the country in the comprehensive care of children, adolescents and young people in the midst of this new context, the head of state considered "very inspiring and exalting" everything that has been achieved.

How has the isolation imposed by the epidemiological situation caused by COVID-19 influenced our population at risk, especially the youngest ones? What actions are being implemented in the country to mitigate the psychological effects that the disease could have on children, adolescents and young people?

About the answers to these and other questions, specialists from different sectors who have worked together with experts from the Ministry of Public Health(MINSAP by it Spanish acronym) to develop comprehensive actions aimed at caring for children, adolescents and young people in the course of these months commented in detail to the Cuban president on Tuesday.

According to Dr. Carmen Beatriz Borrego Calzadilla, head of the Mental Health Section of MINSAP, the broad program of psychosocial and mental health support designed in the country during the health emergency caused by COVID-19 has as a significant element that it has been conceived comprehensively, with actions ranging from promotion, education, prevention, therapeutic and teaching to research.

The purpose is to minimize as much as possible the impact on the mental health of the infant-juvenile population and the Cuban family of the isolation measures and, above all, the length of time that the health emergency is being prolonged.

What has happened to the youngest children during these difficult months, and what emotional impact has this extraordinary situation left on them? Dr. Tania Adriana Peon Valdes, a specialist in Child Psychiatry, asked herself during the exchange. She corroborated the importance of providing differentiated care to this risk group, where at the end of March 26, 8,359 patients had been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

The isolation itself to protect them from the disease, she said, has generated a series of conditions that lead to the fact that some essential activities for their development have not always been possible in their homes.

Play in the case of early childhood; studies in school-age children; and relationships with their peers in particular for adolescents, the expert added, are essential activities for psychological development that in this difficult year have been conditioned by the pandemic.

Taking into account the results of the investigations that have been carried out in the country by experts in health, psychology, psychiatry and pedagogy, Peon Valdes explained, our children, adolescents and young people have shown diverse adaptive responses to confinement.

As part of these, she mentioned the demonstration of excessive attachment, anxiety, irritability, frequent crying, willfulness, rebellious and defiant behavior, as well as difficulty in concentrating. Also, there has been an increase in the use of technologies and a substantial change in their life habits.

To accompany the attention to the youngest children, the support of neurosciences has also been sought, from which, explained Rosario Torres, head of the Neurosciences Psychology Department, proposals have been made for computer applications to guide parents on what to do at home and others with activities for the development of preschool-age children.