Crise sanitaire et soins psychiques pour les enfants. Une étude psycho-sociologique au CMP

Abstract

Objectives

In this article, we present the results of a research project conducted jointly by professionals from a child and adolescent mental health center (CMP) and sociologists. We explore how the first confinement (in the spring of 2020) affected the situation of the child patients at the CMP and their families, as well as the care practices of the professionals.

Methods

The study was implemented in May 2020. Nine mental health professionals (psychologists, child psychiatrists, speech therapists, psychomotor therapists, social worker) were invited either to write a text reflecting on their experience, or to participate in an interview with one of the four sociologists. In both cases, the suggestion was to describe clinical situations, focusing both on social and psychological aspects, and to formulate ideas on the effects of confinement based on these clinical examples, while preserving the anonymity of the patients. Following this phase, the mental health team and the sociologists met several times to collectively discuss the content of these texts and to elaborate a reflection at a more general level that resulted in this article.

Results

This research illustrates some effects of the Covid-19 crisis on children and families, notably the reinforcement of social inequalities, as witnessed by mental health care professionals. It also documents the adaptations of care practices (e.g. remote consultations) during this period, as well as the multiple questions that professionals had to address.

Discussion

Regarding the situations of the children and their families, the data collected reveal that social inequalities have been exacerbated by the context of the pandemic, but it also underscores how certain factors (type of housing, family configurations, individuals’ relationships with academic and public health norms) may have contributed to differences between families from similar socio-professional categories. Regarding mental health care, it appears that guaranteeing the continuity of the relationship with the child and/or the family was a crucial concern for the professionals. As face-to-face appointments were limited, practices arose that were not seen as options in the usual work environment and habits, such as phone consultations. Professionals questioned the effects and stakes of these remote encounters and were forced to reposition themselves clinically and therapeutically.

Conclusion

This research experience encourages us to renew this type of study, because of the richness of the results produced by an analysis associating professionals and sociologists, but also because of its contribution to the mental health team's capacity to reflect critically on its own practices.