PSYCHOLOGY – Problems falling asleep, anxiety, anger or bedwetting … For many young children, this period of forced isolation has left its mark. Explanations and advice from specialists.
By Laure Dasinieres
For almost two months, our lives were completely turned upside down by forced isolation. For children under the age of 5, stigma sometimes remains, and the return to “normal” is difficult, as evidenced by the testimony of many parents. “My 3 year old daughter developed some anxiety about the disease, explains Claire, currently unemployed. She often pretended to cough, saying, “I’m sick.” We took it as a game. But, on deconfinement, we understood that she was afraid of making her grandparents sick or of being very sick herself. “
The behavioral problems induced by confinement can also take unexpected forms. “My 4 year old son developed a kind of fad with his toy cars, says Géraldine, SNCF agent. He spends entire days aligning them to the nearest millimeter, and if he doesn’t succeed, his reaction is totally disproportionate. He howls, trembles, slaps himself and leaves in his