Impact of lockdown and online learning during COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of Slovak adolescents

Česká verzia

Authors: Jurík Juraj; Trebatická Jana; Matzová Zuzana; Böhmer František
Authors place of work: Klinika detskej psychiatrie Lekárskej fakulty Univerzity Komenského a Národného ústavu detských chorôb, Bratislava
Published in the journal: Čes-slov Pediat 2022; 77 (3): 148-157.
Category: Original Papers

Summary

Introduction: A global pandemic of the infectious disease COVID-19 was declared in March 2020, and in an effort to curb the spread of the virus, schools have been closed and switched to online learning. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 and its lockdown and the impact of online learning on the mental health of children and adolescents in Slovakia.

Methods: At the Department of Paediatric Psychiatry of the National Institute of Children’s Diseases, we developed a self-report questionnaire for the evaluation of online learning, daily routine and mental health of children and adolescents in the period of lockdown, including questions for the comparison with the period before. Data collection took place from 01. 06. 2021 to 30. 06. 2021.

Results: In the category of adolescents (13-18 years), 1825 respondents were included in the study. Compared to the period before the lockdown, we recorded a decrease in mood, perceived energy, possibilities to engage in activities and an increase in perceived tension (all ps = < 0.001). The presence of COVID-19 alone did not affect the examined mental health parameters of adolescents (p = > 0.05). A significant change in the daily routine – the necessity of online learning – had a significant impact on the examined mental health parameters, depending on the level of respondents‘ satisfaction with this change.

Conclusion: Respondents in this study experienced a worsened mood, decreased energy, decreased overall mental well-being, and increased tension during the lockdown period. COVID-19 alone did not have a significant impact on the examined mental health parameters of the respondents, while online learning, depending on respondents‘ satisfaction with this form of learning, had a significant impact on the examined mental health parameters.

Keywords:

adolescent – COVID-19 – pandemic – children – mental health – lockdown – online learning – mood

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