美国国家公共电台 NPR--新冠疫情对儿童的心理健康造成了巨大的损害

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The pandemic has taken a big toll¹ on the mental health of children

Transcript²

NPR's A Martinez talks to California's Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris about children coping with adverse³ childhood experiences brought on by COVID, and what can be done to undo⁴ the damage.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Remote learning, isolation⁵, the loss of loved ones and just a general disruption to their lives - all of that is exacerbating⁶ the mental health challenges facing young people. It prompted U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to issue an advisory⁷ last month, highlighting what he calls an urgent public health crisis. Speaking to NPR, he told us why.

VIVEK MURTHY: Before the pandemic, 1 in 3 high school students reported persistent⁸ feelings of sadness or hopelessness. That's a 40% increase from 2009 to 2019. In a similar time frame, suicide rates went up 57% among youth 10 to 24. And we've also seen that during the pandemic, the rates of anxiety and depression have gone up. So I believe that this is a critical issue that we have to do something about now.

MARTINEZ: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris agrees. She's a pediatrician who has long advocated for children's mental health. She's also California's first surgeon general, appointed back in 2019. Doctor, welcome.

NADINE BURKE HARRIS: Thank you for having me.

MARTINEZ: Now, medical groups such as the Academy of Pediatrics - they've issued a state of national emergency in children's mental health, noting a dramatic rise in emergency room visits. What kinds of emergencies are we talking about?

BURKE HARRIS: Yeah, what we're seeing is increased rates in depression, anxiety. We're also concerned about suicidality, self-harm, things like that. We are definitely seeing increased rates of substance use and misuse⁹ among teens. So all of these things are certainly a significant worry.

MARTINEZ: When it comes to suicides, too - I mean, that - for any parent, any grandparent, anyone that has a kid somewhere in their orbit, I mean, that has got to be absolutely terrifying to know that's happening.

BURKE HARRIS: Yeah. I mean, it's certainly a concern, right? But the thing I think that's really important is that when we understand what is driving these increases, then we can use that understanding for prevention. And that's what we're very focused on doing here in California.

MARTINEZ: What are some of those reasons?

BURKE HARRIS: Well, a lot of what we know about how our experiences and environments can impact our mental and physical health comes from a big research study from the CDC called the Adverse Childhood Experiences study. And what that shows is that activation¹⁰ of our stress response, which a lot of us are experiencing now during the pandemic, can actually affect the way children's brains develop and put them at greater risk for developing both mental and physical health conditions. But it also tells us that safe, stable and nurturing¹¹ relationships and environments are healing and that they can help the body biologically be able to weather these stressors in a way that is much more healthy for kids in the long term.

MARTINEZ: And, Doctor, how is that different - that trigger - that brain trigger that you mentioned? How is that different in children as opposed to adults? Can adults handle it better or kids maybe not know what they're dealing¹² with?

BURKE HARRIS: Well, children's brains and bodies are just developing. So when children experience high doses of stress and adversity, it can actually change the way their brains develop. That's why putting these resources in place to support safe and stable, nurturing relationships and environments are so important. And that's also why early detection and early intervention¹³ leads to much better outcomes because kids have the benefit of what we call neuroplasticity, the ability for one neuron to make a new connection to the next neuron. So we can use that for healing.

MARTINEZ: All those things that have been limited or, in some cases eliminated, because of the pandemic, things that have left children by themselves to try and figure things out, and a lot of the times no one can get to them - a mental health professional, a teacher. Anyone that has experience with this can't get their hands on them or their eyes on them to see, OK, they might be dealing with an adverse childhood experience that we need to help right away.

BURKE HARRIS: And that's why everyone in a child and young person's environment needs to be aware and understand how adverse childhood experiences may be impacting kids. And that goes from educators to law enforcement officers and the person doing the checkout¹⁴ at the grocery store. Because what the data shows is that just as the experiences of adversity can accumulate to increase risk, the experiences of nurturing, buffering¹⁵ care add up to protect our kids.

MARTINEZ: So there is hope then. Or is this damage at all somewhat permanent in some cases?

BURKE HARRIS: No, there is plenty of hope. The science is very clear on this. Early detection and early intervention, nurturing relationships and other buffering care interventions¹⁶ can lead to healing. And that starts by just recognizing what's going on, checking in with our kids, seeing how they're doing - so tuning¹⁷ in. But that safe and stable relationships and access to high-quality mental health care are also critical.

MARTINEZ: Now, states such as a Maryland, Wyoming, Utah - they're all trying to raise awareness¹⁸ of adverse childhood experiences or do something about them, as well. As the surgeon general of California, Doctor, you're building an infrastructure¹⁹ that you hope others will replicate²⁰. What has California done that's different?

BURKE HARRIS: Well, California began even before the pandemic. Our efforts were very timely. In January of 2020, we launched a first-in-the-nation effort to train over 20,000 health care providers in California to screen for adverse childhood experiences. And in fact, in California, the Legislature passed a law, which was signed by the governor last year, that required private health insurers to cover screenings.

MARTINEZ: Now, Doctor, you're a parent. I'm a parent. I'm a grandparent, too. What advice can you give all of us on how to help children through these times - how to spot things, how to just make sure that kids are getting what they need right now when they really need it?

BURKE HARRIS: So, you know, what I'm going to say is a little counterintuitive. But as a mom of four boys and a pediatrician and a researcher, one of the things that the data tells us is that in order to be available for our kids, we need to put our own oxygen mask on first. Self-care is not selfish. So we do need to care for ourselves, and that's what makes us available to tune²¹ in to our kids so that we can be available. Because the science is very clear on this. These nurturing relationships really are healing.

MARTINEZ: That's Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California's surgeon general. Doctor, thank you.

BURKE HARRIS: It's my pleasure.

(SOUNDBITE OF FELBM'S "HERAUSWEH")

MARTINEZ: And if you know someone who is having thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

(SOUNDBITE OF FELBM'S "HERAUSWEH")

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

4 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

5 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

6 exacerbating   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
• High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网

7 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

8 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

9 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

10 activation   

n. 激活，催化作用

参考例句：

• A computer controls the activation of an air bag.电脑控制着气囊的启动。

11 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

12 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

13 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

14 checkout   

n.（超市等）收银台，付款处

参考例句：

• Could you pay at the checkout.你能在结帐处付款吗。
• A man was wheeling his shopping trolley to the checkout.一个男人正推着购物车向付款台走去。

15 buffering   

缓冲（作用）； 减震； 阻尼； 隔离

参考例句：

• Fig. 3-13 gives a suggested buffering arrangement for the data lines. 图3―13示出了一种缓冲数据线的方案。
• It requires buffering for most applications. 在大多数使用场合，它都需要缓冲。

16 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

17 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

19 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

20 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

21 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。