DCU research to examine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on children
The School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health this morning launched a survey to assess the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on children. Titled Have your say: Impact of COVID 19 restrictions on children and young people’s ability to maintain their play worlds and friendship groups across Ireland, the research is being led by Dr. Carol Barron.
The survey for children, adolescents and parents, looks to identify the impacts of these social restrictions on children and adolescents play worlds, hanging out and friendship groups in this unprecedented era of social restrictions. In addition, the initiative hopes to identify and understand any ideas, strategies and solutions that children, parents and adolescents came up with to overcome these difficulties.
The COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted the play worlds and friendship groups of every child and adolescent in the country. Playgrounds, crèches and schools are closed, after school activities stopped, as have sports club activities; state exams have been cancelled, and children and adolescents cannot socialise with their friends as they used to.
Dr. Carol Barron said
“Children and adolescents have the right enshrined in international law to play, hang out and take part in recreational activities. They equally have the right to express their views on how social restrictions have impacted this.
This survey asks children, adolescents and parents to identify how social distancing has impacted children’s well-being, opportunities for play and maintenance of their friendship groups and what interventions / strategies they have used to overcoming these difficulties.”
Ireland and Italy
This project is a comparative study between Ireland and Italy and the findings from this study will inform the advice and supports offered to children, adolescents and parents across both countries.
The survey is available here.
It will be live from today until Tuesday 2nd June 2020
Researchers
- Chief International Investigator and Ireland's Principal Investigator: Dr Carol Barron, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, DCU
- Ms Mary Jane Emmet (Research Assistant) DCU
- Dr Daniela Bulgarelli, Assistant Professor. Department of Psychology. Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin
Results
The results of the survey will be available to all participants here.