Volume 18, No. 6, 2021
Art Therapy For Adolescents In India
Ms Shruti Mittal , Dr Mamata Mahapatra
Abstract
The COVID pandemic has ravaged nations and increased the disease burden on countries due to the numerous deaths reported daily, strict restrictive measures taken by the government to regulate the spread of the infection, and the increasing strain on the healthcare system. Among the populations most affected is children. While the death toll in children has been moderate compared to other populations, COVID has had a significant negative psychosocial effect on the young demographic. The main challenges for children arise from having family and friends who are infected and quarantined/ isolated, have died due to the infection, or being subjected to mandatory isolation in the form of school and public spaces closures that have affected their lives. India, which has about 41 percent of its population as minors (below the age of 18), is one of the nations most affected by the pandemic resulting in deaths, government-enforced isolation/ quarantine, and closure of schools at a significantly higher rate than most countries. Consequently, the psychosocial challenges of the pandemic to children are likely to be major for the young Indian population. To address the problem, art therapy, which can be offered in person or online, is proposed as an intervention to meet the need of Indian children during the pandemic period.
Pages: 2857-2862
Keywords: A Need of the Hour during COVID in India