Children. The impacts from COVID-19, including social distancing, isolation, and virtual schooling, are not yet well documented. One study found evidence that children are affected differently based on their age. Those ages 3-6 years old exhibited more clinginess and fear of family members getting infected than those 6-18, who are more likely to experience a lack of attention and frequently ask about COVID-19. Adolescents were anxious about the cancellation of school exams, exchange programs, physical activities, and events (Jiao et al., 2020; Lee, 2020). Some experienced boredom; others relied heavily on social media. Parents in one study reported that all ages showed increased irritability and agitation, feelings of fear and isolation, disrupted sleep, and changes in appetite (Jiao et al., 2020). Children with special needs experienced particular challenges depending on their needs (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Another reported that children of all ages were showing signs of the impact of COVID-19 (Singh et al., 2020) and called for longitudinal studies to understand the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children.
The mental health of children living on farms will be impacted by the stressors experienced by family members and how caregivers manage those stressors. When children experience trauma brought on by how caregivers themselves handled stress, such as suicide or attempted suicide, children experience what is called Adverse Childhood Experiences. Those experiences can introduce physical and mental problems that can carry on into adulthood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Children may exhibit negative behavior, injury, and illness. For some, depression and/or anxiety may be present during adolescence, young adulthood, or even in later adulthood.
Young Farmers. Among male farmers, young farmers are projected to suffer most from economic distress (Key, 2019). They carry high burdens of depression and anxiety about finances and time pressures (Rudolphi et al., 2019). PODCAST
Some of the challenges of being a young farmer are shared in this 2019, 3-minute podcast, Looking Back on a Decade of Young Farmers. The video describes the creation of the National Young Farmers Coalition. https://www.youngfarmers.org/2019/06/lookingback/
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