Event Title
The Ecological Impact of COVID on the Mental Health of Black Children
Start Date
21-6-2021 10:10 AM
End Date
21-6-2021 10:55 AM
Topic
Mental Health
Session Chair
Lindsey Disney
Abstract
It is no question that COVID has brought forth a multitude of conversations on the state of health, financial, criminal justice and educational systems. None of these areas exists in a bubble, rather they are intersecting points that warrant analysis. While these exchanges are often discussed as isolated topics, they are exchanges of system behavior, which did not just appear with the progression of COVID-19, but have been magnified and showcased. This work is an analysis of the disproportionate impact of COVID on Black children’s mental health, which in turn poses a long-term impact on the criminal justice system. It considers the role of system behavior in the non-detection of mental health concerns. This unawareness stems out of flawed assumptions and perceptions. This work also centers on the systematic issues that result from the lack of adequate proactive and reactive resources, along with the social factors that are produced by poverty and low socio-economic status. In addition, the work poses suggestions to alleviate this impact. This is not a paper on tangible resources, but rather the emotional and connectivity weaknesses that are a function of system behavior and systematic flaws. These flaws are explained as products of workplace culture and system functioning. This paper is not an affront to teachers, but to system behavior and structural issues that have put Black children in vulnerable situations, compounding distress. It offers suggestions in regard to the detection of mental health concerns, as well as suggestions involving school procedures, community resources and local policy. It also involves a reframing of workplace culture, as well as the development of collective efficacy.
Document Type
Extended Abstract
The Ecological Impact of COVID on the Mental Health of Black Children
It is no question that COVID has brought forth a multitude of conversations on the state of health, financial, criminal justice and educational systems. None of these areas exists in a bubble, rather they are intersecting points that warrant analysis. While these exchanges are often discussed as isolated topics, they are exchanges of system behavior, which did not just appear with the progression of COVID-19, but have been magnified and showcased. This work is an analysis of the disproportionate impact of COVID on Black children’s mental health, which in turn poses a long-term impact on the criminal justice system. It considers the role of system behavior in the non-detection of mental health concerns. This unawareness stems out of flawed assumptions and perceptions. This work also centers on the systematic issues that result from the lack of adequate proactive and reactive resources, along with the social factors that are produced by poverty and low socio-economic status. In addition, the work poses suggestions to alleviate this impact. This is not a paper on tangible resources, but rather the emotional and connectivity weaknesses that are a function of system behavior and systematic flaws. These flaws are explained as products of workplace culture and system functioning. This paper is not an affront to teachers, but to system behavior and structural issues that have put Black children in vulnerable situations, compounding distress. It offers suggestions in regard to the detection of mental health concerns, as well as suggestions involving school procedures, community resources and local policy. It also involves a reframing of workplace culture, as well as the development of collective efficacy.
Comments
The recording of this speaker ends at 2:21:45