The Impact of Covid on Self-Regulation in Children and Young People

Please note: this content was originally produced for settings in Australia and New Zealand but is relevant for practitioners globally.

Across the globe, thousands of children and young people have been adversely impacted by Covid-19. And while the pandemic itself may have abated, its legacy lives on, continuing to affect them mentally, socially, emotionally and behaviourally. It has also impacted their self-regulation skills.

Self-regulation is a crucial life skill, but according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, many children are experiencing high levels of psychological stress and anxiety and are not equipped with the tools needed to regulate their feelings and behaviour. Links between chronic stress and poor self-regulation in children are well documented, and can lead to an increase in behaviours of concern.

As professionals, our role is to understand why children and young people might be struggling with self-regulation, and crucially, what we can do to support them.

What is self-regulation?

Self-regulation is best understood as the ability to understand and manage our own thoughts, feelings, behaviour and actions. This includes controlling our impulses, calming down when feeling heightened, and behaving in socially acceptable ways.

Being able to self-regulate allows us to make decisions that are in our best interests, solve complex problems, and modify our behaviour so that we can do things like learn new skills, interact with others, and build and maintain relationships.

Typically, self-regulation develops over time, beginning with engaging in co-regulatory behaviours with a stable, emotionally-available caregiver. When we, as adults, model how to regulate our own nervous system, we enable children and young people to successfully emulate and adopt these strategies themselves.

How do we know if someone is struggling with self-regulation?

Every child and young person is different, and what is typical for one, can look quite different for another.

Individuals who cannot easily self-regulate may get caught up in negative thought patterns and spend a lot of time feeling anxious about past, present or future events. This can spill out into their behaviour.

Distressed behaviours can include an inability to focus; running away or shutting down; becoming withdrawn; feeling angry; feeling low or tearful; an inability to sleep; or showing increased sensory sensitivity.