Fears and Anxiety in Children in the Era of the Covid-19 Pandemic. A Short Review and a Brief and Integrative Intervention Proposal

Abstract

Alvarez Bravos Laura, Pastor Romero Alfonso, Rodriguez-Rivas Mario

For most of the population, the 2019-Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has posed the major health threat they have been exposed to. Medical literature shows that children and young people are less susceptible and vulnerable to it. Despite this, there are individual, familiar, social and environmental circumstances that place them as one of the most vulnerable groups to suffer psychological distress. There is already existing evidence pointing out an increase in fears, anxiety, nightmares and phobias among children due to this current pandemic situation. In this context, in which children are naturally and adaptive affected, the need to have useful tools to address them adequately arises. This article is written with the aim of clarifying concepts (since often the close relationship between fears, anxiety and specific phobias generates some confusion when conceptualizing a behavior or emotion) as a way to better help children, our ultimate purpose. In this regard, the last part of the paper addresses possible techniques and strategies for an intervention model on this kind of difficulties.

PDF