This year’s International Family Day, on May 15, took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Family resilience is tested through problems that may emerge when people stay at home for a long period.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·6 minutes read
KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN
A family living in the Pejaten area, Pasar Minggu. Jakarta, on Saturday (28/3/2020), takes advantage of the morning sun by sunbathing in the terrace of their house. Sunbathing is now a common activity among many people during large-scale social restrictions.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The COVID-19 outbreak has forced people to stay at home. While this can be a good time for family members to get closer with one another, being stuck together for a long period during a pandemic may also lead to problems. This must be mapped out and anticipated together.
An online survey by the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) shows that almost 95 percent of families are stressed due to the outbreak and social distancing rules imposed to cut off the spread of COVID-19. The survey involved more than 20,000 families, mostly in Java and Sumatra, and was held in April and May this year.
BKKBN deputy of family welfare and empowerment M. Yani said in Jakarta on Thursday (14/5/2020) that people were stressed by not only the outbreak’s health threat but also its economic impacts. “People are stressed, sad, frustrated and having difficulty sleeping. Their appetite is affected. They are desperate, some to the point of mulling over suicide,” he said.
People are stressed, sad, frustrated and having difficulty sleeping.
The survey is in line with an Indonesian Psychiatrists Association (PDSKJI) self-checking data released in late April. The data shows that 63 respondents are worried, thinking that something bad is going to happen, more likely to get angry and facing difficulty relaxing. Some 66 percent say that they are depressed and 80 percent are experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms.
The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry received 1,201 reports of violence against women and 1,526 reports of violence against children between January 1 and May 12 this year. In these cases, 1,213 women were victims. A majority of the cases, namely 730, was domestic violence. Meanwhile, 1,669 children were victims, including 350 in domestic violence cases.
Before the social distancing policy was imposed, between January 1 and February 28, the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children (SIMFONI-PPA) received 900 reports of violence against women and 1,197 reports of violence against children. After the social distancing policy was imposed between February 29 and May 12, the number of reports declined to 301 cases of violence against women and 329 reports of violence against children.
“Perhaps it is difficult for victims to file reports due to health protocols. The stay-at-home policy can make it hard for victims to access our services,” Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry secretary Anak Pribudiarta Nur Sitepu said.
According to child and family psychologist Anna Surti Ariani of the University of Indonesia faculty of psychology’s integrated clinic, a variety of family problems, including mild and severe ones, have been found through telecounseling and monitoring by community health center (Puskesmas) psychologists. Anna also chairs the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Clinical Psychology Association.
According to her, reduced income, job loss, increased activities due to stay-at-home, work-from-home and school-from-home policies, and changing household roles have led to problems in many families.
As daily activities are now centered at home, family members’ behaviors that were unnoticed before are now laid bare. Without good communication, this can lead to conflicts. Mild problems that go unresolved can lead to huge fights and even divorces. Things can get worse if family members are either ill or dying, even if it is not because of COVID-19.
Martina Perrini, 5, jumps as her parents Daniele and Vanna and her sister Michela, 9, sit on a sofa in their home, in the small southern historical town of Cisternino, Italy, April 24, 2020. Picture taken April 24, 2020. Perrini family have dealt with Italy\'s strict lockdown measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with two young daughters studying at home, and owning three restaurants and a bar that can\'t fully open until June 1.
Anna said that reports from psychologists’ monitoring of persons and patients under surveillance (ODPs and PDPs, respectively) in self-isolation at home showed that problems could get more complicated among lower-middle class families living together in small spaces. Being stuck together for a long time in a small space can lead to multiple problems that cause stress.
Staying at home can also lead to pressures for children. Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) commissioner Retno Listyarti said that, from March 16 to May 13, the commission received 259 reports of distance education (PJJ), 42 reports of families and alternative parenting issues, one report of social and children issues in an emergency, seven reports of children facing the law, two reports of health and narcotics issues and two reports of human trade and child exploitation.
“Children face psychological violence while studying from home due to improper PJJ ways,” Retno said.
International issue
Similar problems are also cropping up abroad. World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, who was contacted online from Copenhagen, Denmark, said that stress and anxiety from social restrictions had led to uncertainty, separation and fears. Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Russia, Spain and the UK have reported upticks in domestic violence cases. There was a 60-percent increase of emergency calls made by women suffering from domestic violence from their spouses in April 2020 when compared to April 2019.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that there will be 31 million cases of domestic violence globally if regional quarantine goes on for six months. For every three-month extension of regional lockdown, there will be 15 million new cases of gender-based violence.
A family from an impoverished settlement looks out from the window of their room during a lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, May 10, 2020. India\'s lockdown entered a sixth week on Sunday, though some restrictions have been eased for self-employed people unable to access government support to return to work.
London-based psychologist Lucy Atcheson said that regional quarantine and staying at home may exacerbate differences and conflicts for some people. “This is like putting all of these problems on a frying pan and then heating it up,” she said.
Regional quarantine may also lead to divorces. Quoting Chinese media in late March 2020, The New York Times reported that divorce filings surged in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Shanxi. For instance, Sichuan’s Dazhao city received almost 100 divorce filings in less than three weeks.
Maintaining resilience
These various problems must get serious attention on International Family Day on May 15. On this day, families are challenged to maintain resilience. Family psychologist Alissa Wahid, who also serves as secretary of Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama’s Institute of Family Welfare (LKK NU), encouraged all
family members, especially parents, to better observe the conditions of one another. She said that family members should better understand relationship patterns between one another and not put too much demand on one another in this new normal.
“It is important to understand and manage ourselves, understand others and manage our relationship with others. We need to hone our skills in these matters and understand that everyone is feeling pressures in today’s situation,” Alissa said.
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