Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

COVID-19 pandemic has brought a “parallel pandemic” of psychosocial problems. Children and adolescents account for 42% of the world’s population with 26% being younger than 15 years of age. Initial studies suggest that although children and adolescents are less likely to be infected with COVID-19 and they stay asymptomatic or have milder symptoms of illness if get infected, but they are not indifferent to the psychological distress of pandemic. Uncertainties regarding pandemic itself, strict social distancing measures, widespread and prolonged school closures, parental stressors, and loss of loved ones are likely to affect children and adolescent’s wellbeing in addition to specific psychological effects of quarantine and isolation. Parents are also caring for their children in stressful conditions, under high degree of economic uncertainty, attempting to work remotely with childcare responsibilities, keeping children busy and managing demands of home-based schooling with no clarity on how long the situation will last. The multidimensional impact of COVID-19 on children and adolescents cannot be overlooked. The proposed symposium will focus on impact seen among children and adolescents in Pakistan, USA and Qatar. Discussions will inform policy makers, school officials and parents highlighting the need that steps and measures are taken to make this experience less traumatic for vulnerable young people. This can be done by honest and age and developmentally appropriate communication, ensuring routines and minimizing disruption in education, encouraging healthy lifestyle, enhancing positive relationship between families, managing parental stress and incorporation of health promotion activities in school curriculum.