Parental knowledge and due diligence
As the information and visuals about the Coronavirus disease are spoken in the family, among friends, on television and on the Internet, children may worry about contracting the Coronavirus disease for themselves and their families. Parents, family members, school staff, and other trusted adults can play an important role in helping children understand and inform accurately and honestly in a way that minimizes anxiety or fears about what they are learning.
Parents should make sure that children have enough and accurate information about the disease before they talk about what they see on the news or hear from their peers. Parents should prefer scientific resources when applying to resources related to the subject. In addition to the information provided above, below are reliable local and international resources you can refer to.
– Ministry of Health (https://hsgm.saglik.gov.tr/tr/covid19)
– Turkish Medical Association (http://www.ttb.org.tr/kollar/COVID19/index.php),
– World Health Organization (http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/healthemergencies/
coronavirus-covid-19) ,
– Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (KLİMİK)
(https://www.klimik.org.tr/koronavirus/ )
– Turkish Psychiatric Association (http://www.psychiatry.org.tr)
– American Medical Association and AMA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/covid-19-2019-novelcoronavirus-
resource-center-physicians)
– European Center for Disease Prevention and Control
(https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china)
– Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control
(http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/COVID19/ )
I don’t know whether to open the topic or not?
For children who voice their concerns, parents should be prepared to reduce and inform their children’s concerns. But if the child hasn’t said anything yet, should parents raise the issue? Children are curious about what is going on around them. Parents are also sensitive to their concerns. “When a parent is anxious, even if they think they are hiding their concern towards their child, children feel, receive and experience that anxiety in a similar way.”
Each child can develop different attitudes about the event he is worried about. While some children express their feelings easily, others may choose not to express them despite experiencing anxiety. Again, due to the intense anxiety of the parents, they may choose not to tell. But most of the time, they do not know how to deal with this anxiety and they have difficulties. In other words, “the fact that the child does not express his/her concern about the disease does not mean that they are not worried or that they do not think of thoughts about the disease”. Therefore, parents should be prepared to talk to children, learn about the disease and talk to their children as detailed in this article.
Starting a conversation or bringing up the topic; right starts bring right results
Due to the widespread news about the potentially deadly nature of the coronavirus disease epidemic, children may develop fears about their own health and safety. Parents should not ignore their children’s fears. They should listen to them and answer their questions. In this listening, parents should be passive listeners at the beginning, they should not disrupt the child’s expression, but by detailing what the child said in the next process (what kind of disease it was, where did you learn it, what else did you learn, what was written, what did he say, what else did you learn?, etc., abstract concepts they used or if there are new concepts, they should clarify it, etc.) should learn completely what they know.
How should parents inform their children about the Coronavirus disease, how should they talk?
Children and teens react, in part, to what they see from the adults around them. When parents and caregivers cope calmly and confidently with the Coronavirus disease, they will have provided the best support for their children. Parents become reassuring to others around them, especially children, if they are well prepared.
Children know their parents best. Let the knowledge level and “questions” of the children during the “attempt to open the topic” be your guide as parents about how much information will be given. However, do not hesitate to provide information that health professionals identify as important for protecting children’s health.
It is important to give information to children according to their developmental level. Young children, in particular, think more concretely. Therefore, when talking to preschoolers, choose more concrete words. Again, children respond especially to the last part of the long sentences you have formed, that is, to the last thing they hear. Do not use long sentences. Provide short and clear information. When you provide incomplete or insufficient information, they can fill in the blanks on their own. In this case, too, they may often think in unrealistic and worrying ways. This may serve to increase their anxiety. After giving information, check what they learned. If what they learned does not match the information you provided, correct again. If they have questions, ask them to ask.
Prepare yourself to listen and speak.
Take time to talk.
Be calm and reassuring.
Try to find out what he knows.
Provide honest and accurate information.
Provide children with information appropriate for the child’s age and developmental level.
Answer their questions in a way they will understand.
Remember that children will react both to what you say and how you say it.
They will extract clues from the conversations you have with them and others.
Make sure kids know they can come to you when they have questions.
Avoid language that can blame others and lead to stigma. Remember that viruses can make anyone sick, regardless of a person’s race or ethnicity. Avoid making assumptions about who the coronavirus patient might be.
Pay attention to what children see or hear on television, the radio, or online.
Consider reducing screen time focusing on the coronavirus disease. Too much information on this subject can cause anxiety. Children may misinterpret what they hear or read and may fear something they do not understand.
Talk to children about how some stories about the Coronavirus disease on the Internet and social media can be based on rumors and misinformation.
Inform them that their home is safe and that they, the adults, are trying to protect them from illness and will help them if they get sick.
Try to keep the information simple and remind that health and government officials work hard to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Education given by parents to protect children from Coronavirus disease; What can I do to avoid getting coronavirus and not getting sick?
Teach children to prevent children from getting the Coronavirus, not to get sick, and to reduce the spread of the virus. Teach them the behaviors they should do daily. To help protect against the spread of the coronavirus disease, you can practice healthy habits at home and turn them into games or fun:
Remind children to stay away from people who are coughing, sneezing, or who are sick.
Tell them to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with their hands (Keep your hands away from your mouth, nose, and eyes). This will help keep germs out of your body.
Talk about hand hygiene being the most important thing to prevent the virus.
Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into your elbow. If you sneeze or cough into a tissue, throw it in the trash immediately.
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Follow these five steps – soak, lather (bubbles) with soap, scrub (scrub together), rinse and dry. Get children into the habit of washing hands. (Get her into the habit of washing hands by going to the bathroom after coughing, before and after eating). Explain that hand washing can keep them healthy and prevent the virus from spreading to others.
Be a good role model; Children are more likely to do the same if you wash your hands frequently. Parents and caregivers play an important role in teaching children to wash their hands.
Make handwashing a family activity.
Teach you to use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Hand sanitizer should contain at least 60% alcohol.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces with a regular household spray or cloth.
Keep everything clean. Older children, along with adults at home and school, can help clean the things we touch the most, such as desks, doorknobs, phones, computer keyboard and mouse, remote controls.
If you feel sick, stay home. Just as you don’t want to get other people’s germs into your body, other people don’t want to get your germs either.
Developing attitudes and gaining knowledge about providing additional hygiene at home for parents
Clean and disinfect high-contact surfaces daily in common areas of the home (e.g. desks, backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remote controls, handles, desks, toilets, sinks)
Wash items containing washable plush toys according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, wash the laundry using the hottest water setting for the laundry and dry the laundry completely. A sick person’s dirty laundry can be washed with other people’s laundry.
Read the right information from the right sources (appropriate resources are suggested above).
