NEW YORK.- A recent study in the medical journal Pediatrics reveals that 142,637 children of different ethnicities, including Dominicans, residing in the United States have suffered the death of one of their parents or grandparents due to Covid-19.
According to the study, of the more than 142,000 bereaved minors, 32% are Latino and 26% are African American.
Throughout 15 months of the pandemic, the study estimates that for every 4 deaths from the virus between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, a child lost a parent or primary caregiver, and dozens of these children could suffer from trauma in the future.
The study also indicates that minority races have been the most affected, since one in 168 Native American children has been affected by the death of a parent or caregiver, compared to one in 753 white American children.
In addition, one in every 310 African Americans has suffered this type of death, compared to one in every 412 Hispanic American children and one in every 612 Asian children.
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Psychotherapist Elizabeth Delicio maintains that “the child may fall into depression or anxiety. For example, they will not want to sleep alone, they will have nightmares, they may sleep too much or too little, gain or lose weight, lack concentration, their school grades will drop; all of this is normal because they are grieving processes.”
Most orphaned children live in orphanages and sadly grow up deprived of that emotional support that only parents can provide. In the United States, they generally have food, a roof, clothing, and education, but there is always something missing: a mother’s loving kiss or a father’s tender hug.
Globally, more than 1.5 million children have been left without their primary or secondary caregivers during the pandemic, the study points out.
