Page 111 - IJPS-10-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Parent-adolescent communication about COVID-19 safety

children often reminded their parents to keep their distance adolescents but also to engage with and support parents as
and change clothes after visiting a public space. important allies in the fight against COVID-19.
4.1. Implications for policy and research Acknowledgments

Very little attention has been paid to the risk communication The paper was presented at the Conference on Population
of COVID-19 for young people. In fact, at household level, and Reproductive Health Dynamics Under COVID-19 in
parents contributed to alleviating the spread of COVID- Sub-Saharan Africa that was hosted by the University of
19 by instilling safety precautions to their children and the Witwatersrand, South Africa through its Demography
persuading them to comply, after learning about the and Population Studies Programme. The Conference was
safety measures from the media. While parents have made supported under the auspices of the Science Granting
significant strides in promoting COVID-19 prevention Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) and
measure, it is not advisable to rely on parents solely for administered by South Africa’s National Research
the task of communicating safety measures. Instead, it is Foundation in collaboration with Canada’s International
crucial to recognize that parental discussion with their Development Research Center (IDRC), the Swedish
children underscores the necessity of designing more International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida),
effective strategies for communicating risk with younger South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation
individuals, all while minimizing potential psychological (DSI), the Fons de Recherche due Quebec (FRQ),
and emotional consequences. the United Kingdom’s Department of International
As the major source of information regarding Development (DFID), the United Kingdom Research and
COVID-19, the media and other stakeholders can design Innovation (UKRI) through the Newton Fund.
risk communication strategies aimed at improving parent- Funding
adolescent discussions about the virus. The current
strategies employed by parents may evoke emotional None.
distress in adolescents whose emotional and psychological
states have already been adversely impacted by the Conflict of interest
pandemic. Hence, parents need to practice sensitivity to the The author declares no competing interest.
emotions and psychological state of their children during
discussions about COVID-19 and other health issues. Author contributions
4.2. Study limitations and future directions This is a single-authored article.
One prominent limitation of the present study was the Ethics approval and consent to participate
small sample size used, which was not sufficient for broader
generalizations or interpretations. In light of this, there is a The study was approved by the research ethics committee
need for large-scale quantitative studies to provide further of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. The study’s
corroborating evidence on parent-adolescent discussions process and purpose were explained to the respondents
about COVID-19. Future studies should consider including before the interviews commenced. The terms set forth
adolescents as study participants, a population not included in the consent sheet were explained to the respondents,
in the current study. These may pave way for the formulation encompassing the risks and benefits of participating in
of more effective risk communication strategies and the study. The respondents were also informed that if
healthier discussions between parents and their children. they chose to participate, their responses would be kept
anonymous. Additionally, they were informed that they
5. Conclusion could discontinue the interview any time and disregard
any questions. Those who agreed to participate had signed
This study demonstrates that parents a play pivotal role, the informed consent form.
as part of the collective effort, in curbing the spread of
COVID-19. Their role extends beyond merely providing Consent for publication
information, as they also enforce compliance to the safety
measures. As long as there is up-to-date and accurate Participants were informed that the findings were for
information disseminated by the media, parents can research and would be published.
continue to significantly contribute to mitigating the impact Availability of data
of the pandemic and ensuring the safety of their families and
communities. This underscores the need for public health Supporting data can be obtained from corresponding
campaigns and intervention strategies to not only target author following formal request.

Volume 10 Issue 1 (2024) 105 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.363