Children’s Lived Emotional Experiences of COVID-19 Lockdown Insights from Arts-Based Qualitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jssr.v6i1.691Keywords:
Arts-based Methods, COVID-19, Diary Writing, Drawing, Emotional Wellbeing,, Children, Pakistan, Qualitative Research, ResilienceAbstract
Children have been especially vulnerable to the emotional impact of a large-scale crisis like an infectious disease outbreak. Events like the COVID-19 pandemic can disrupt day-to-day life, relationships, and sense of stability for children, and impact their mental health and wellbeing. This study aimed to explore how children in Pakistan experienced and made sense of their emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 lockdown, using an arts-based qualitative approach that combined drawing with reflective diary writing. An arts-based qualitative approach design was used for this study. With parental consent, 23 children (11 boys and 12 girls) aged between 9 to 15 years participated; each had been home confined a minimum of 1 month. They were all provided with a drawing pad, diary and drawing tools and asked to document their thoughts, emotions and moods each day for a period of two weeks. They shared experiences in writing and drawing about loneliness, anxiety, sadness, and changes in attitudes and conduct. Focus group discussions were later held to understand their interpretations and meanings regarding their drawings and expressed thoughts. Children reported emotional stressors during lockdown, including fear of infection, loneliness, sadness, and ongoing worry. The virus was seen as a silent threat, creating uncertainty and insecurity. Loss of routine and limited social interaction worsened experiences, though children also showed resilience supported by family ties, parenting, creativity, and helping behaviors. The results indicate children faced emotional stressors like fear, loneliness, sadness, and worry during lockdown, seeing the virus as a silent threat. Routine loss worsened insecurity, yet resilience emerged through family ties, supportive parenting, creativity, and helping behaviors.
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