PSYC FPX 4310 Assessment 4 Evaluating Biopsychological Interventions for Youth in the Post-pandemic World

Introduction

PSYC FPX 4310 Assessment 4: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, also known as COVID-19, sparked an unparalleled range of international government reactions aimed at preventing the spread of a deadly virus. Families were forced to quickly adjust to new stressors when schools, workplaces, and other social meeting places were closed due to government regulations. These adjustments were made, but there were few tools available to help parents and teenagers in particular deal with the psychological demands of their new surroundings. A number of swiftly executed studies used surveys and interviews that were started by government and educational organizations to gauge the families’ level of well-being.

These studies shed light on the growing number of negative childhood trauma experiences and the resulting unhealthy coping strategies. During the height of the COVID lockdown period, many adolescent victims had bioecologically produced behavioral concerns such as heightened anxiety, sleep disorders, withdrawal, fearfulness, and negative externalization behaviors (Yahola, 2024).

In the end, the worry is that this anguish might result in long-term developmental problems and harmful behavior patterns that affect subsequent social functioning. The researchers proceeded to suggest diverse strategies aimed at impeding trauma internalization and enhancing resilience. Since it seems like COVID-19 traumas are just the same types of traumas but more severe and affecting a larger population, many of these child-parent psychotherapy programs are based on traditional models of mitigation (Jonathan James Tomlin, 2021).

Related Assessment:
PSYC FPX 4310 Assessment 3 Neurological Effects for Children Caused by the Global Pandemic Response

Adolescent Mental Health Challenges

The global economy depends on preventing chronic illnesses brought on by protracted worry, despair, insomnia, and inadequate coping mechanisms. Adolescent patients face numerous obstacles when it comes to addressing global developmental difficulties. In an unusual manner, COVID-19 exacerbated the previous elements that are already important and drive these situations (Maria, 2024). It can be difficult to implement adolescent mitigation therapies that are expressly meant to lessen the biopsychological effects induced by COVID-19, particularly for adolescents who do not exceed standard thresholds for clinical symptoms. Furthermore, disadvantaged populations such as those with low incomes, single parents, disabilities, minorities, and racial populations frequently do not have access to necessary resources, despite being the group most negatively impacted by the pandemic protocols.

Regretfully, there aren’t many sizable trials including young people that monitor the prevalence of mental health disorders and incorporate both pre- and post-pandemic data. Before and after the pandemic, a wide baseline of mental health dysfunction must be established in order to determine where resources should be allocated for maximum impact. The United States and the United Kingdom produced two noteworthy studies (Ganapathy Sankar Umaiorubagam et al., 2021). The National Health Service in England observed that, from 2017 to 2020, rates of possible mental distress among adolescents rose significantly, irrespective of age, sex, or socioeconomic position. Compared to 2017, 6% more children between the ages of 5 and 16 were diagnosed with undefined mental health disorders by 2020.

Gendered Mental Health Impact

Notably, the negative results were significantly higher for females. The likelihood of mental anguish similarly rose with age in females. The youngsters aged 17 to 22 exhibited the most notable variations. The older girls reported more episodes of sleep disturbances and more arguments amongst the family’s adult members (Milner et al., 2020). Finally, compared to children without pre-existing issues, children of all ages and genders with suspected mental disorders were 15–20 percent more likely to say the lockdown made their lives worse.

The results for both internalizing and externalizing traumas were significantly greater in America than in England. In contrast to about 57% in 2020, approximately 32% of presenting children in 2018 had internalizing difficulties that were either subclinical or symptomatic. The percentage of reports of externalizing problems, or “acting out,” increased from only 17% in 2018 to 56% in 2020. Currently, a few significant meta- and systematic analysis studies are assembling quantitative results from the COVID-19 experience in adolescents (Docka‐Filipek & Stone, 2021). 

Evaluation Challenges in Mental Healt