A new University of Glasgow project will examine the “collective trauma” of Covid on children and provide support to teachers and others who work with them daily.
One of the academics involved has said that the full impact of the pandemic on the young has not yet been seen, but that the importance of mental wellbeing and connection with others had become clearer during Covid.
Lecturer Christine Hadfield spoke as the university launched a free new course looking at how young people’s emotional wellbeing has been affected by the Covid-19 crisis, including the periods of learning from home during lockdowns.
“We have yet to witness the full impact of the Covid pandemic on our children and young people,” said Dr Hadfield.
The two-week-long online course, “Supporting young people’s mental wellbeing post-Covid”, has been worked on by staff at the university’s school of education.
It will examine the impact trauma can have on the developing brain, as well as how isolation and loss may have impacted on young people.
The course sets out to provide strategies and tools that could be used by teachers, social workers, parents and others to encourage children and young people to recognise and discuss their emotions amid the fallout from Covid.
Dr Hadfield said the course was aimed at anyone who was involved with children on a daily basis “whether it is parents, guardians or professionals in a variety of contexts”.
She said: “We have all been through what I would consider to be a collective trauma during Covid.
“Over that last two and a half years we have become increasingly aware of the importance of our emotional and mental wellbeing as well as the importance of our connection with others.
“Through this course, we will explore this issue in a bit more depth to see how we can support each other and our young people in the post-Covid-19 era.”
Mary Lappin, a lecturer in grief and loss education, who is deputy head of the University of Glasgow School of Education, said: “For many, an experience of loss and bereavement will have had a considerable impact.
“Significant loss can be a painful and lonely experience and the accompaniment of adults, the modelling of healthy grief and a growing understanding of the potential impact of loss can be a most helpful way to support the wellbeing and flourishing of our young people post-pandemic.”
Details of the course are available here.
