Covid & Childhood

Philips Larkin, …..accuses his Mum and Dad for the faults they have filled in him through his famous poem (due to cuss words not quoting the original word). This is what we call as nurture assumption. But psychologists have over the years have clearly emphasised that this idea of nurture is over assumed, and it is not only nurture, but nature has one big part to play. According to nurture assumption parents have important effects on the way their children turn out.

This assumption that 100% contribution of children shaping up into what they are due to experiences they have with their parents have turned out into a mistake. Major impact on children is due to socialising, the natural environment a child gets in his school, in the evening with play friends, with teachers. Children identify with a group not much with parents and it is the socialising which happens in these groups which has most impact on what adult would be from a child to adolescent and there on.?This is what came out as group socialisation theory.

Hindi speaking parents in their homes living in Europe, will have their child’s language development shaped thru societal influences rather than home atmosphere. Children take the behavior and attitudes of the groups they are in rather than what they get in their homes.

But how does this nature Vs nurture assumption hold in these times of pandemic. This is the question which I am here to deal with.

Came December 2019 and a virus emerged on the scenes and took most of the children from streets, these were the kids, students, children steeping into adolescence, children going into teens. This was the time when group socialisation theory would have shown its impact, but virus kept our kids bereft of this.

It is almost 2nd year now (post march 21st in India) that I don’t see classes chirping with kids noise, grasses in parks getting trounced by kids play or kids going inter houses from play to study. Schools are closed and it is 2nd session in row, with intermittent opening for higher classes and hence the school play, interaction and extra co-curricular activities are almost nil. This assumption has a little bit prejudice towards the kids of may be middle class and higher ups, but majority is impacted.

But this all has happened so what next.

This has not only impacted psychological well-being of children and their families during governmental lockdown measures, as well as on relations between children’s coping and demographic background but will have some long-term impacts.

First impact is in terms of developmental psychopathologies. Attachment theories in developmental psychology suggest children seek proximity to caregivers when exposed to stressful situations Lockdowns created intense pressure on the family system leading to caregiver stress passed on to children meaning less support to children than required. John Bowlby’s theorises that care givers emotional bond and attachment plays important part in early childhood development. In early childhood, attachment quality and sensitive care correlates to positive adjustment later. Ainsworth, a renowned psychologist also reinforces that sensitive care leads to positive effects later in life. During these times parent’s nurturing methods have changed a lot. When one is more stressful and more concerned about security needs (remember Maslow), he or she is bound to transform behaviour towards love withdrawal than induction (logical reasoning) with children to discipline them.

The behavior of parents has changed a lot towards kids in these lockdowns and work from home environments. Towards positive, as more time is spent with kids is a question. Negative impacts., yes they are there as a fatigue has come in homely interactions as would obviously be if three people are locked in a room 24X7. Confirmed in Diana Baumrind 3 nurturing styles- Authoritarian (power assertion + value obedience), Authoritative (child learns basic principles) and permissive (tolerant) , parents have become authoritarian hence impacting child’s behavior towards negative direction.

Second impact comes in form of role of play, in development. Play is a vehicle for learning about rules and acquiring self-control, it is the time when children understand rules based on reason than authority and play is a vehicle for acquiring skills for long term survival and reproduction. Kids are almost into second year where they have restricted play. I have not seen parks chirping with noise made by kids, stomping of sand and unrestricted play atmosphere with experimentation and novelty. Most impact is from children being bereft of playtime in schools. The impact would not be felt now but this as the theory states will have on long term survival instincts.

Third impact comes in transition to the Adolescence, breaking out of the cocoon, children tend to become full member of community. As per Erikson’s life span theory this is the stage of crisis, establishing new identity in terms of purpose, career, and values. This is when the child establishes closer relationship with peers and conflicts with parents’ authority. Child will start looking like and behaving like peers. This is the time when positive or negative influences start creeping in the child. During these covid times this is the stage which is most impacted. It is during this transition to adolescence that child starts exploring on his own, he/she starts doing things independently along with peers.

Without much of socialising either this transition is delayed or would be part impacted, and most in the kinds just in their 11th or 12th year of age.

We need to see that how these risk factors due to Covid, hamper the healthy growth and development among children. Increase in care giver stress, no classroom activities, social isolation, and a lack of physical activities are these more dangerous than the virus per se?

anshul