The impact of the COVID-19 in children and families in high conflict separation by Dilcio Dantas Guedes This brief essay explores the impact of COVID-19 as a disruptive event on children and families dealing with high conflict separation or divorce, proposing some clinical strategies to enhance the children and families’ psychological immunity to this disruptive event. Approximately one-third of separated parents have high levels of constant hostility and tension towards the other parent (Anderson, et al., 2010). One study indicated that these experiences could lead to low self-esteem, increased sleep disorders, aggressive behaviors, and academic difficulties for the children (Fergusson, et al., 2014). Not surprisingly, there is an observable increase in demands for treatment of children manifesting aggressiveness, attention deficit, hyperactivity, and somatizations, (Schauder, 2009). For Borelle and Russo (2013), these manifestations are reactions that children develop to cope with their disruptive environments. After separation, parents often increase their productivity to a faster pace to help offset the decline in their financial position. A possible decrease of close interaction or prolonged periods of absence may leave children reliant on peers for emotional support. The subjective experience of family becomes, little by little, dispersed, and superficial, unless parents are careful to prevent this. The psychological consequence of this disruptive familial environment may translate into symptoms of apathy, boredom, low self-esteem, school phobia, transition phobia, guilt, or behavioural troubles at school (Schauder, 2009). Further, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic on families dealing with high conflict separation or divorce, routines previously established, such as visitations, domestic rules, school, and extra-curricular activities may be put on hold or changed.
From this author’s perspective, news about COVID-19 appears to overwhelm children’s emotional defenses because of its severity as well as our uncertainty regarding the timeline for our success in defeating it. Within my program, my colleagues and I are observing divorcing parents having increased difficulty protecting children from the disruption caused by the pandemic. Children are expressing a decreased tolerance to frustration, increasing worries about family members becoming sick, a fear of bacteria and viruses, and an increased reluctance to adhere to transition schedules, especially if a specific parent is preferred. Our observations support studies recently published concerning the impact of this pandemic. For instance, Jiao et al. (2020) and Wang et al. (2020) found that children who had experienced a prolonged period without going to school experienced a fear of asking about the epidemic or the health of family members, as well as insistent demands of physical contact, sleep problems, low concentration, and separation anxiety. Xie et al. (2019) investigated depressive and anxiety symptoms among students who were confined at home in Hubei province, China. They found that the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety were higher than in other studies of SARS-related stressors. According to Lee (2020) and Golberstein et al. (2020) this pandemic worsened the mental health conditions of children and adolescents. 17
