Psychological coping of children and adolescent convalescent from covid-19, is the title of the text, whose authors are drs. Isaac iran cabrera ruiz, head of the department of psychology at the «martha abreu» central university of las villas, miguel ángel toledo méndez, professor of psychology at the university of medical sciences of villa clara, and addys pérez fernández, head of the provincial group of child and adolescent psychiatry, in the central region of the country.
The prologue to this gem of specialized literature is written by dr. Manuel calviño valdés-fauly, professor at the faculty of psychology of the university of havana, and host of the popular television program vale la pena.
This volume, based, fundamentally, on the findings of a study carried out by island psychology and psychiatry professionals, has as its focal point or central axis the first outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic in the province of villa clara; consequently, the results showed that living the traumatic experience conditioned by said viral condition can generate dissimilar psychological symptoms: anxiety («fear of the known»), anguish («fear of the unknown»), sadness (and in extreme cases, depression as a nosographic entity), irritability, aggressiveness, hyperkinesia, dependence on the caregiver (parents, guardians or adults responsible for the custody of the children), sleep disorders (insomnia, nightmares, night terrors), as well as excessive use of new information technology.
The specificities presented by these psychological symptoms (or others that patients may exhibit as part of the clinical-psychological picture) vary depending on age: whether they are in childhood or adolescence; privileged ages of the human life cycle. On the other hand, it is necessary to highlight the fact that these emotional manifestations are not exclusive, in any way, to the «little princes» who have suffered from covid-19, since children and adolescents who have escaped infection by coronavirus, they may also suffer emotional disorders in response to house confinement, which will last for several months. The mental health professionals from villa clara who undertook this investigation recommend taking care with love, tenderness and firmness of childhood and adolescence («fundamental clay of society»), helping our children and young people to be happy, which is so it is important and necessary to become aware and incorporate into your coping style that you should wash your hands systematically, use an antiseptic solution, put on a mask or face mask, and maintain physical distancing, among other health measures to keep away —as far as possible— the possibility of contagion.
In this endeavor, the family must play a «key» role. Finally, the authors suggest performing physical exercises, practicing sports and creative expression and recreational activities, playing games that encourage cooperation, in such a way that exposure to computer or mobile screens is reduced to a minimum. Mobile phones.