21 juni, 2021
The pandemic and childhood: A timely Exploration!
The Stockholm Explorative Talks series in its fourth webinar explored an issue that is especially relevant today – the effects of the pandemic on early childhood and adolescence. The topic – ‘Growing up during a pandemic: Mental health among a ‘lost generation’’ saw our explorers (Anna Norlén, Michiko Ueda, Dan Woodman, Livia Tomova, and Örjan Ekblom) exchange perspectives in a discussion that was informed by their respective disciplines of psychology, public health, sociology, neuroscience, and health sciences. The exploration was attended by a worldwide audience from 21 countries, representing 34 universities, with a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds between them.
The topic was explored from different intersectional views, and addressed points such as – forming a research-based evaluation of the pandemic taking into account both the positive and negative effects, how disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are affected disproportionately at social and domestic levels, the impact of isolation and lack of quality interactions on the development of the brain, correlation of mental health and unhealthy lifestyles, the role of social media in perpetuating negative interactions, the differences made by socio-economic privileges in accessing remote education, how the usual loneliness and insecurities of teenagers during transition to adulthood are compounded by the pandemic, and so on. Further, the discussion also touched upon alleviatory measures such as – the role that policy makers, families and communities have to play in order to restore safety and security in the lives of children, the importance of well-designed, low-threshold interventions, and lastly, the vital role that team sports and social play have in aiding brain recovery and emotional regulation.
Stockholm Explorative Talks will take a short summer break now, but we are back on 31 August (Tuesday) with our next webinar – ‘The Value of Human Capital’. This will be followed by an on-stage event (that you can watch live) and more webinars.
Check out our event calendar and follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated with all our events. Have a great summer and see you soon!
Anna Norlén is a licensed Psychologist, Psychotherapist, and the Vice Chancellor of The Erica Foundation. She has a long experience of supporting and treating children and young people subjected to violence, sexual abuse, maltreatment and other trauma.
Michiko Ueda is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University in Tokyo. Ueda’s research interests include suicide prevention, public health, and public policy.
Dan Woodman is a Professor of Sociology in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the sociology of youth, young adulthood and generations.
Livia Tomova is a Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience at University of Cambridge. She is interested in how loneliness, social isolation and stress affect the brain and mind, especially during adolescent development.
Örjan Ekblom is a Professor of Sport Science at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH). Ekblom’s research focuses on the use of physical activity both as a preventive measure as well as a treatment for diseases.
21 juni, 2021
The pandemic and childhood: A timely Exploration!
The Stockholm Explorative Talks series in its fourth webinar explored an issue that is especially relevant today – the effects of the pandemic on early childhood and adolescence. The topic – ‘Growing up during a pandemic: Mental health among a ‘lost generation’’ saw our explorers (Anna Norlén, Michiko Ueda, Dan Woodman, Livia Tomova, and Örjan Ekblom) exchange perspectives in a discussion that was informed by their respective disciplines of psychology, public health, sociology, neuroscience, and health sciences. The exploration was attended by a worldwide audience from 21 countries, representing 34 universities, with a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds between them.
The topic was explored from different intersectional views, and addressed points such as – forming a research-based evaluation of the pandemic taking into account both the positive and negative effects, how disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are affected disproportionately at social and domestic levels, the impact of isolation and lack of quality interactions on the development of the brain, correlation of mental health and unhealthy lifestyles, the role of social media in perpetuating negative interactions, the differences made by socio-economic privileges in accessing remote education, how the usual loneliness and insecurities of teenagers during transition to adulthood are compounded by the pandemic, and so on. Further, the discussion also touched upon alleviatory measures such as – the role that policy makers, families and communities have to play in order to restore safety and security in the lives of children, the importance of well-designed, low-threshold interventions, and lastly, the vital role that team sports and social play have in aiding brain recovery and emotional regulation.
Stockholm Explorative Talks will take a short summer break now, but we are back on 31 August (Tuesday) with our next webinar – ‘The Value of Human Capital’. This will be followed by an on-stage event (that you can watch live) and more webinars.
Check out our event calendar and follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated with all our events. Have a great summer and see you soon!
Anna Norlén is a licensed Psychologist, Psychotherapist, and the Vice Chancellor of The Erica Foundation. She has a long experience of supporting and treating children and young people subjected to violence, sexual abuse, maltreatment and other trauma.
Michiko Ueda is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University in Tokyo. Ueda’s research interests include suicide prevention, public health, and public policy.
Dan Woodman is a Professor of Sociology in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the sociology of youth, young adulthood and generations.
Livia Tomova is a Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience at University of Cambridge. She is interested in how loneliness, social isolation and stress affect the brain and mind, especially during adolescent development.
Örjan Ekblom is a Professor of Sport Science at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH). Ekblom’s research focuses on the use of physical activity both as a preventive measure as well as a treatment for diseases.
