Abstract

Drawing on psychological research conducted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this essay aims to explore the pandemic’s impact on the long-term psychological development of children. In specific this paper will focus on how stressful situations created by the pandemic can be translated into developmental challenges for children through the mediation of their parents, as well as social isolation due to lockdowns and their resultant obstruction proper social skill development. Stressful situations experienced by parents (e.g. change in parents’ working conditions, loss of a loved one, diagnosis within the family, change in child’s routine and school) can translate into compromised parenting practices and ultimately disrupt children’s development of emotional regulation skills and healthy attachment patterns. Additionally, prolonged periods of social isolation from school lockdowns have limited children’s exposure to interactions with their peers and teachers, depriving many of the necessary conditions for healthy socioemotional development. Through the examination of these factors, this essay will prove the left long-lasting developmental imprints the COVID-19 pandemic has left on the psychological growth of an entire generation.

Keywords: Parental stress, Social Isolation, Covid-19

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