How can we help children adjust to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond?
Lead Researcher: Dr Suja Somanadhan, UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems
The Co-VIsION project aims to learn more about how children have creatively found ways to manage the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Funded by the Health Research Board and the Irish Research Council, the project will explore the creative and innovative ways children have been responding to the changes during and after the pandemic, and how their initiatives may help other children, particularly addressing their sense of safety, calm, hope, self-efficacy and connectedness. In this project, researchers will specifically focus on the active engagement of children, what we can learn from them and how this can be translated and adjusted to other groups within our society on how to deal with the effects of this pandemic.
What is the issue?
While children may experience an impact from the Covid-19 pandemic on their health and wellbeing, as well as their sense of safety, they are also capable of responding positively and creatively to the challenges presented, helping themselves and others to survive and thrive in taxing times.
What will the research project do?
This research will explore strategies in the home and community, where children’s creative and innovative responses have helped them and their friends and families adjust to changes during and after the pandemic. It will also look at how children’s actions in the pandemic may affect the ability of others in their community to adjust to changes.
What will the impact be?
By identifying ways in which children can be active and engaged, and in doing so can maintain a sense of safety and self-efficacy, the research will inform strategies to develop long-term resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lead Researcher Dr Suja Somanadhan, Assistant Professor in Children's Nursing, University College Dublin, said: “Project Co-VIsION will enable us to connect with children from across the globe and to learn from their life experiences. This can provide indicators for potential early interventions and recommendations for future research, and can help promote positive community actions and responses during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.”
For more information, visit covision.ie.
Project Team
Lead Researcher: Dr Suja Somanadhan
Co-Investigators
Professor Lisa Gibbs, Director of the Child and Community Wellbeing Program in the Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne. Visiting Professor of Child Health at UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems.
Professor Thilo Kroll, Professor of Health Systems Management, UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems.
Dr Carmel Davies, Assistant Professor, UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems.
Dr Aoife De Brún, Assistant Professor/Ad Astra Fellow, UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (UCD IRIS), School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems.
Dr Harry Sheir, Research Scientist, UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (UCD IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems.
Dr Helen Mc Aneney, Research Scientist, UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (UCD IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems.
Ayrton Kelly, Graduate Student, UCD Innovation Academy.
Collaborators
Grainne Bauer, Children’s Health Ireland
Dr Carmel Corrigan, Ombudsman for Children’s Office, Ireland
Professor Fernando Wagner, University of Maryland, USA
Professor Kay Tisdal, University of Edinburgh, UK
Professor Wang, Jieh-Jiuh, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan
Krystyna Kongats, University Alberta, Canada
Revathi Nuggehalli Krishna, Monash University, Australia
Professor Hayda Alves, Federal Fleminense University, Brazil
Professor Carol Anne Mutch, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Jacinta Owens, UCD Innovation Academy
