The Impact and Perceptions of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents

Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected the world and T & uuml;rkiye, has caused severe upper respiratory tract infection as well as lower respiratory tract infection, organ failure and death in humans. Infection is seen in all age groups in children, but it has been reported that the incidence of COVID-19 increases with increasing age and is milder than in adults. This study was planned to determine the perceptions of children and adolescents during the pandemic process. Material and Methods: This study, planned as a cross-sectional and quantitative study, was conducted between July 1 and October 1, 2021. The study sample consisted of children and adolescents between the ages of 7-18 studying in all primary, middle and high schools in the provincial center, and 1004 children were obtained after receiving parental consent. Data were collected through questionnaires prepared by the researchers. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Results: In this sample, 59.2% of the children were girls, 96.8% attended public school, 45.8% attended secondary school, 79% lived in the city center and 96.7% lived with their families. During the pandemic process, 37.8% of children gained weight, 56.5% were afraid of getting sick and 54% were afraid of death, the hours spent on the internet increased, and their school achievement was moderately affected. As the level of education increased, the perception that the measures taken at the macro level (world or country-wide) were not sufficient increased, the perception of controllability of COVID-19 increased with increasing education, and students in high school thought that COVID-19 was more controllable. Conclusion: As the age of children increases, the belief that the pandemic can be controlled may be a positive development, but it should be kept in mind that COVID-19 can be fatal, especially in children with underlying health problems. Therefore, it is important to take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.