Mental Health Concerns in the Pediatric Population Following COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in stress and mental health concerns in the pediatric population. Research indicates a decrease in pediatric mental health incidences in 2020, followed by an increase in 2021 and 2022. It is thought that the initial decrease may be due to the intensity of the pandemic at the time and a lack of hospital beds available. The increase suggests a response to the high levels of adversity and stress children and adolescents faced both during and after the origination of the pandemic. The evidence supports the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on pediatric mental health. In the pediatric population, one must understand how educational resources and supportive activities for resilience and emotional coping could affect children and adolescents who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A literature review was conducted on the effects of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mental health. A toolkit for grades kindergarten to fifth was developed which includes educational support and descriptions of activities. The toolkit is intended to teach the pediatric population about mental health as well as how to cope with emotions in a healthy way. The toolkit will be distributed to third semester nursing students for use in their pediatric community health clinical experiences. Dissemination of this project will involve sharing the literature review and components of the toolkit with the Kirkhof College of Nursing Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) clinical instructors. Plans have been made to implement the project into the NUR 367 pediatric community health course during the Winter 2023 semester. The toolkit will be used in the pediatric nursing community health clinical setting at Grand Valley State University