Effect of Bio-psycho-educational health Program on Adolescents' Knowledge, Anxiety and Coping toward COVID-19 Pandemic Induced Stress

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a crucial phase of human life. They are more vulnerable to the psychological effect of COVID-19 epidemic than adults because of their immature cognitive and emotional regulation systems and tend to show more negative outcomes. Aim of study: to investigate the effect of Bio-Psycho-Educational health program on adolescents' knowledge, anxiety and coping toward COVID-19 pandemic induced stress. Research design: comparative quasi experimental research design was used. Setting: The study was conducted through online educational channels for preparatory and secondary school adolescent girls at El-Monoufia governorate-Egypt and Yanbau governorate, Saudi Arabia. Sample: A multistage cluster sampling for selecting schools then a stratified random sample for selecting 400 adolescent students' girls (200 Egyptian and 200 Saudi) was drawn. Tools:online questionnaire was designed and involved the followings, Tool one: A structured interview questionnaire was designed by the investigator and consisted of two parts; (1) socio-demographic characteristics of studied adolescents and (2) adolescents' knowledge about COVID-19 pandemic. Tool Two: State-Anxiety Inventory for Adults. Tool Three: Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation. Results: There was a statistical significant improvement among studied Egyptian and Saudi adolescents regarding their knowledge, anxiety and coping regarding COVID-19 induced stress before and after the program (P=<0.001). Conclusion: the implementation of the Bio-psycho-educational program improved adolescents' knowledge, decreased their anxiety, and promoted their effective coping regarding COVID9-pandemic induced stress. Recommendations:Bio-psycho-educational health programs should be importantly designed and implemented for adolescent students to improve their knowledge, alleviating their anxiety and promote their coping on the basis of actual physical and mental needs in facing COVID-19 Pandemic and other similar health crisis.