Restless Children in Spain and Italy Showing Big Behaviour Changes during Lockdown says Costa Blanca-based Study

CHILDREN in Spain and Italy are showing big behavioural changes because of the lockdown, according to a Costa Blanca-based study.

Mireia Orgilés and Jose Pedro Espada from Elche’s Miguel Hernández University (UMH) have conducted the first survey of its kind in Spain of youngsters during the State of Alarm period.

They’ve also brought children from Italy into the mix, and the research saw 1,143 parents of youngsters aged between three to 18 years of age, taking part.

The figures conclude that 89 per cent of Spanish parents have witnessed changes in the way their children are behaving, as opposed to before the lockdown.

Specifically, from Spain, figures have been obtained from 431 under-18’s from 89 towns and cities, with parents filling-in an online questionnaire to provide details on the emotional state of their children.

The most common difference was the high figure, at 69 per cent, of children having difficulty in concentrating.

Forty-nine per cent felt more bored than usual, whilst restlessness was up by 49 per cent.

Increased nervousness, irritability, and being more prone to argue with family members all ranked above the 40 per cent mark.

Interestingly enough the Elche findings suggested that Spanish youngsters were hit more psychologically than their Italian counterparts.

One reason might be that the Italian lockdown rules allow an adult to take children for a short walk close to their home, though access to parks is prohibited.

At the weekend, the Spanish government announced plans to allow youngsters out of their lockdown homes at the end of the month.

Unsurprisingly, the use of computers, tablets, and mobile phones has shot up from 15 per cent to 73 per cent in the last few weeks.

From the health perspective, 66 per cent of children practised some form of physical activity for at least an hour per day, but that has collapsed to just 14 per cent.