Covid 19 pandemic and its bio-psycho-emotional impact on a child population in Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

The impact of the pandemic caused by Covid 19 in an urban population of the city of Córdoba, Argentina, is exposed in three different periods: the initial period -of absolute and compulsory social isolation with virtual schooling-, the following one -of partial confinement with semi-face-to-face schooling- and a third period with open activities and face-to-face schooling. The direct infectious compromise caused by SARS Cov-2 showed a significantly lower intensity and duration than in the adult population, with mortality limited to children with previous severe health problems. In contrast, a severe bio-socio-emotional impact was observed derived from the loss of childhood social computers: school, eating and rest rituals, and the loss of references to establish hierarchies in the family dynamics of upbringing. The phenomenon of the pandemic and the successive confinements are analyzed as the genesis of maturational disorders and transitory social adaptation.