A new study on the number of children who have lost caregivers in COVID-19 is the latest in reminding us that the effects of a pandemic will be felt for generations to come.
Between March 2020 and April 2021, COVID-19 lost an estimated 1.5 million children in 21 countries to their parents or grandparents who lived with them, according to a study published on Tuesday. ..
The authors of the study, in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet, used mortality and childbirth data to model the proportion of COVID-19 associated with the loss of parents or secondary caregivers who lived with their children. And reached that number.
This study was partially funded by the National Institute of Substance Abuse, a branch of the National Institute of Health. NIDA funded the study for its close relationship between the loss of parents or secondary caregivers and increased substance use as a result of elevated levels of trauma.
“Such studies play an important role in revealing the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on families and the future mental health and well-being of children around the world,” said NIDA Director. Dr. Nora D. Volkow said.
Children in South Africa, Peru, the United States, India, Brazil and Mexico have lost their most important caregivers in COVID-19. The authors of the study defined the primary caregiver as a parent or guardian’s grandparents.
“Orphanage and caregiver deaths are a hidden pandemic resulting from COVID-19-related deaths,” the study authors write. “COVID-19 can die within a few weeks, so families have little time to prepare their children for the trauma they experience when their parents or guardians die.”
They said that institutionalizing lost parents was a common reaction, even with surviving parents, “which could lead to delayed development and increased abuse.” Added. Other long-term consequences include an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. Physical, emotional, and sexual violence; family poverty, researchers said.
In all countries, COVID-19-related deaths were higher in men than in women, especially in middle-aged and older children, the study reported: “Overall, children who lost their fathers more than children who lost their mothers. Up to 5 times more .. “
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the epidemic of delta variants, which currently causes about 83% of new cases in the United States, even as more people around the world become vaccinated. , The pandemic is not over yet. Directed by Rochelle Walensky.
“”[W]Charles Nelson, co-author and principal investigator of research at the Center for Developmental Medicine within the Boston Children’s Hospital, should not forget that the pandemic continues to threaten parents, caregivers, and their children. Hmm.
As of Wednesday, approximately 4.1 million people worldwide died of COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
