The warning signs of pandemic stress parents should look for in kids

Now more than ever, it's important that parents convey to their children they appreciate them the way they are, even if they think their offspring may not be doing enough for school as they should. Photo: 123rf.com

Covid-19-related restrictions on social contacts have seriously impacted children and adolescents worldwide, with deleterious effects on their mental health, paediatricians are saying.

Take Germany: Since the start of the pandemic a year ago, nearly one in three children there have displayed psychological problems, according to a recent study by the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Medical Centre. They're mostly worries and fears but include depression symptoms and psychosomatic complaints such as headaches and abdominal pain.