COVID-19 and Student Well-Being: Stress and Mental Health during Return-to-School

Abstract

Students have been multiply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: threats to their own and their family’s health, the closure of schools, and pivoting to online learning in March 2020, a long summer of physical distancing, and then the challenge of returning to school in fall 2020. As damaging as the physical health effects of a global pandemic are, much has been speculated about the “second wave” of mental health crises, particularly for school-aged children and adolescents. Yet, few studies have asked students about their experiences during the pandemic. The present study engaged with over two thousand ( N = 2,310; 1,288 female; Mage = 14.5) 12- to 18-year-old Alberta students during their first few weeks of return-to-school in fall 2020. Students completed an online survey that asked about their perceptions of COVID-19, their fall return-to-school experiences (84.9% returned in-person), their self-reported pandemic-related stress, and their behavior, affect, and cognitive functioning in the first few weeks of September. The majority of students (84.9%) returned to school in person. Students reported moderate and equal concern for their health, family confinement, and maintaining social contact. Student stress levels were also above critical thresholds for 25% of the sample, and females and older adolescents (age 15–18 years) generally reported higher stress indicators as compared to males and younger (age 12–14 years) adolescents. Multivariate analysis showed that stress indicators were positively and significantly correlated with self-reported behavioral concerns (i.e., conduct problems, negative affect, and cognitive/inattention), and that stress arousal (e.g., sleep problems, hypervigilance) accounted for significant variance in behavioral concerns. Results are discussed in the context of how schools can provide both universal responses to students during COVID-19 knowing that most students are coping well, while some may require more targeted strategies to address stress arousal and heightened negative affect.

Changes in Adolescents’ Psychosocial Functioning and Well-Being as a Consequence of Long-Term COVID-19 Restrictions

“…During the summer of 2020, older school-age adolescents (15-18 years old) reported increased stress caused by physical distancing during the summer and the anticipated challenge of returning to school during the fall [23]. The increased stress level seems to be a constant result independent of the length of the restrictions.…”

“…Healthcare professionals have predicted, and the first published studies have shown, that the COVID-19 pandemic would cause a substantial negative impact on adolescents' lives in the form of an increased prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, grief-related symptoms, and sleep problems [18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

School-Based Suicide Risk Assessment Using eHealth for Youth: Systematic Scoping Review

“…In our context, partner school divisions shared that they are still attempting to implement standardized suicide risk assessment protocols remotely but do not know optimal practices for delivery (eg, building rapport and safety in a web-based environment, maintaining connections with vulnerable youth), leading to concerns about the safety and effectiveness of this process for students expressing suicide risk in these challenging times. Given the increased mental health distress some youth may experience during and following situations causing widespread loss or turmoil [22][23][24]-including the COVID-19 pandemic [7][8][9]-continued remote use of suicide risk assessment protocols is likely, and thus guidance on e-delivery is critically needed.…”

“…In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide risk for some youth may be elevated because of social isolation and the associated mental health impacts of the pandemic [7][8][9]. In addition, owing to ongoing school closures or remote learning, many youths may not have in-person contact with the school personnel who play a critical role in identifying risk for suicide and supporting students to seek help.…”

Student and Teacher Evaluation of a School Re-entry Program Following the Initial Covid19 Lockdown

“…Once schools reopened, students and teachers were reunited, bringing along with them all their lockdown experiences and emotions (Schwartz et al, 2021). This time was particularly challenging for teachers, who had to deal with the psychological effects of this unprecedented situation aside from the uncertainty of how to restart normal school activities (Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al, 2020).…”