The World Health Organization revealed that the Corona epidemic has affected the mental health of children and adolescents.
The organization said, in a report issued by its regional office in Europe, that the epidemic has greatly affected the mental health of children and adolescents worldwide, and that girls in older schools were among the groups most affected.
The organization stated that it must focus on the need for targeted intervention and the development of psychological support systems to mitigate the long-term consequences.
While the director of the organization’s regional office in Europe, Hans Kluge, indicated that these results were based on surveys conducted between 2021 and 2022.
The impact of age, gender, economic status, social support structures, and school closures on young people and adolescents, during the period of the spread of the Corona epidemic, and the impact of the aforementioned factors on their mental health, were analyzed.
Kluge explained that the pandemic is having a different impact on children and adolescents, especially children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, whose schools have been closed for extended periods and who lack support at home and at school.
Older schoolgirls were affected the most
New data released by the organization showed that older schoolgirls were affected more in their mental health, and this calls for urgent action such as providing better support at home, school and social activities.
In addition, the organization indicated that the worrying thing is that adolescents from less affluent families were more likely to report the negative impact of the epidemic on their lives, even if they received the same level of social support as their richer peers, and this calls for additional support for vulnerable segments of the population.