Girls, Kids From Low Income Families Face Greater Mental Health Risks Post Covid-19: UNICEF

Girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds face the greatest mental health risks triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, says a report released by UNICEF on Tuesday. The report said that “not all children were affected equally.” “Children and adolescents who faced the greatest mental health risks came from disadvantaged families, had pre-existing mental health conditions or a history of adverse childhood experiences,” the report pointed out. “Malnutrition has worsened, too, with warnings that an additional 9.3 million children may be suffering from wasting by the end of 2022.” “And at least 1.5 million children are estimated to have lost parents or live-in grandparents, leaving them at higher risk of abuse and institutionalization.” The report said that it will take many years for these risks to play themselves out in terms of the mental health of children, adolescents and caregivers. “Around US$387.2 billion a year, according to calculations for this report by David McDaid and Sara Evans-Lacko of the Department of Health Policy of the London School of Economics and Political Science.” “That is US$387.2 billion of lost human potential that could be contributed to national economies,” it said while adding that “the cost in terms of how it affects real lives, however, is incalculable.” While many children and adolescents have been able to rely on families to make up for some of the loss in education and learning, school closures have put a great deal of extra pressure on caregivers, in turn affecting their mental health and well-being.