Brief Research Report: The Association Between Educational Experiences and Covid-19 Pandemic-Related Variables, and Mental Health Among Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: Mental health problems among children and adolescents are frequent. Today, the world is facing a pandemic with a novel coronavirus, which is related to the higher rates of mental problems reported worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the Covid-19 related experiences, educational experiences, and family functioning on mental health and wellbeing among children and adolescents in Chile during the Pandemic and lockdown health measures.Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the first wave of an ongoing longitudinal study among girls and boys of Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade (4–18 years old) in Santiago, Chile. The sample consisted of 979 students from eight different schools. The method of data collection was online surveys administered to parents and adolescents. The dependent variables were mental health problems and wellbeing. Several independent variables were assessed (sociodemographic variables, Covid-19 related experiences, related educational experiences, and family functioning). A descriptive analysis and univariable and multivariable regression models were performed to study the association between variables.Results: Positive educational experiences, primarily academic self-concept, reduced the probability of mental health problems and increased wellbeing. Among covid-19 related variables, practicing meditation or praying reduced emotional problems, while having family or health problems increased emotional problems among adolescents. No clear association between Covid-19 related experiences variables among children was found.Conclusions: Our findings may help educational and public health authorities to plan future school preventive interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing in this population.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Adolescents’ Psychological Distress: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study

“…For the Vietnamese people, ancestor worship can be valuable as a ready source of comfort in times of need [ 72 ]. It is worth noting that praying and/or meditation have been shown to reduce the probability of mental health problems in adolescents [ 73 ]. That religious beliefs are not necessarily protection against heightened psychological distress levels was indirectly proven in our study, in which Moroccan adolescents, also from a culture with a strong religious influence, still reported one of the strongest impacts of COVID-19, as well as the highest level of psychological distress.…”

“…That religious beliefs are not necessarily protection against heightened psychological distress levels was indirectly proven in our study, in which Moroccan adolescents, also from a culture with a strong religious influence, still reported one of the strongest impacts of COVID-19, as well as the highest level of psychological distress. To demonstrate the complexity of the factors influencing adolescents’ mental health, we should mention that family problems and parents’ stress were associated with worsened mental health in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 73 , 74 , 75 ] and that one of the countries where significantly increased parental stress levels were measured from pre-COVID to the first and second waves COVID periods was the USA [ 76 ].…”

Emotional and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms of preterm vs. full-term children during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions

“…Children with incomplete data were more often male. This could have led to an overestimation of emotional symptoms, as female sex has been associated with depression in several studies 14 . Children with mothers who were young and who had less education more often had incomplete data.…”

“…To choose appropriate covariates, we reviewed factors associated with emotional or ADHD symptoms in childhood and those reported during the the lockdown. Female sex increases the risk for emotional symptoms 14 , whereas boys are reportedly at greater risk for ADHD symptoms 14 . Family financial difficulties have been associated with poor mental health, that is, emotional symptoms, suicide attempts, ADHD symptoms, and anxiety 8 , 15 .…”

Migrant Students’ Sense of Belonging and the Covid‐19 Pandemic: Implications for Educational Inclusion

“…Another often-voiced concern related to Covid-19 has been the potentially deteriorating mental health of students. Some studies have described increases in depression and anxiety for adolescents during Covid-19 (Nearchou et al, 2020), yet other studies have not detected the pandemic's clear negative impact on mental health (Ramirez et al, 2021;Schwartz et al, 2021).…”