Impacts on the psychological development of children orphaned by covid-19

Abstract

The article investigates the psychological and emotional impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on the development of children who lost their parents and became orphans during this period. The pandemic imposed collective grief and interrupted farewell rituals, intensifying children’s suffering and disrupting essential emotional bonds. The study aims to understand how grief, experienced in a context of social isolation and fear, affected the psychological and emotional development of these children. This bibliographic and exploratory research is based on authors who discuss grief, child development, and the psychosocial effects of the pandemic. The results indicate that parental loss caused feelings of helplessness, sadness, anxiety, and behavioral changes in children, as well as difficulties in socialization and identity formation. Confinement and the absence of adequate emotional support intensified psychological harm, demanding new forms of care and intervention. It is concluded that psychological follow-up and family support are essential for the elaboration of children’s grief and for their emotional strengthening. Thestudy contributes to broadening the understanding of the pandemic’s consequences on child development and highlights the need for public policies focused on mental health and comprehensive care in childhood.