My Child is So Afraid of Getting COVID-19. How Can I Help Them Cope?
This post is part of a series where our team of child mental health professionals answer real questions submitted by readers like you. This post deals with issues related to COVID-19 and anxiety. Please take care when reading.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global mental health pandemic for individuals and families alike. It’s impacting all of our lives in different ways, from the youngest to the oldest of us.
"My child is so fearful of getting sick with COVID-19. They avoid going out and it's gotten to the point where my child locks themselves in their room and rarely comes out so they 'make sure.' What do I do?"
-Anonymous
Thank you for your question. COVID-19 has caused a lot of uncertainty and anxiety and everyone is having to change and adjust to these unprecedented times. Making decisions that are comfortable for you and your family will be important. Do you feel comfortable going to the grocery store? Do you have items delivered? Should you purchase take-out? These are questions that you and your family need to decide upon collectively. With more structure, and a plan, this will help decrease some of the indecisiveness and general “stuck” feeling.
I do not know how old your child is, but it does sound like they have developed a lot of fear and anxiety around COVID-19.
In these cases, it's important to provide children with developmentally appropriate information they can understand.
Here are two resources that may be helpful:
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network offers a free book resource, “Trinka and Sam,” that allows you to add more or less information to the story depending on your child’s developmental level.
“Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes” is another book recommendation. This book helps children distinguish between healthy and unhealthy germs. It can help children normalize that some germs are safe and that we do not need to be afraid of everything we might encounter.
Continue to support your child in spending more time around the house and eventually outside in ways that we know are safer (i.e. with a mask and social distancing).
These are challenging times and I appreciate your questions, as so many parents are struggling with child fear and angst right now.
If your child continues to isolate and have fears and behaviors that impact their functioning, it might be time to consider consulting your pediatrician or a mental health professional to assess whether your child could benefit from counseling and additional support.
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