Duelo en niños con pérdida significativa en tiempos de pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract

In 2019 a new pandemic was detected in Wuhan, China, putting all countries in the world in a state of emergency, for the first months of 2020, the WHO officially declared the presence of a pandemic and the social isolation of all citizens, as a result, millions of infections and deaths were recorded daily globally. In addition to the psychological and emotional impact presented from the pandemic which has been significant, mainly because, from the recorded deaths and confinement, governments and health entities, categorically prohibited the performance of religious rituals for the farewell of the deceased family member, this has caused a process of ineffective mourning, developing symptoms of anxiety, depression and complicated grief, mainly in some cases with children, reflecting behavioral changes and academic problems. One of the main approaches that talks about this type of grief is the family systemic approach, since it refers that grief is one of the crises that most human beings experience, together with the restructuring of the family system that is forced to be carried out, in this way, each of the family members develop defense mechanisms that are reinforced by the sociocultural context in order to maintain a balance in the family, in this way, it is determined that the family provides the child with emotional support and support at the time of living and facing a loss. The methodology used in the research work was mixed, composed of quantitative and qualitative methods, using semi-structured interview techniques and psychometric instruments, such as Prigerson's Inventory of Complicated Grief for Children IDC, which has 24 items with a response scale from 1 to 5, allowing the identification of the child's feelings and behaviors in the face of grief, Kovacs and Beck's Childhood Depression Inventory, made up of 27 items with 3 response alternatives, identifying symptoms of depression in children between 7 and 15 years old and the State-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire STAIC in children by Spielberger, made up of two evaluations of 20 questions, allowing to know symptoms of anxiety in children, these items and techniques were carried out in four cases of children between 8 and 12 years old, and who have had a loss at least in the last 6 months. Thus, the present research work aims to determine the grief process in children who have lost significant family members during the Covid-19 pandemic, through the analysis of the elements involved. Thus concluding that the symptomatology in children is evidenced by feelings of sadness, loneliness and little protection, considering the type of attachment and the different support networks that are generated around the family nucleus, as a fundamental pillar for the development of grief effectively, likewise, it is recommended, the search for mental health professionals that allow coping with a loss, emphasizing the construction of secure attachments among family members.