Impact of the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Mental Health Among School Students in Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Author:
Youngsoo JANG
1
;
Hye-mi CHO
;
Young-Eun MOK
;
Su-hyuk CHI
;
Changsu HAN
;
Hyun-suk YI
;
Moon-Soo LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:SPECIAL ARTICLE
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2023;34(2):63-68
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Objectives:The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had various effects on mankind, especially children and adolescents.Because children and adolescents spend a lot of time at school, COVID-19 has had a great impact on school mental health. In this study, we investigated the effect of prolonged COVID-19 on school mental health.
Methods:We prepared self-report questionnaires for depression (Children’s Depression Inventory, CDI), anxiety (Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children; Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), and post-traumatic stress (Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PC-PTSD) for administering to students aged between 7 and 18 years, recruited by a COVID-19 psychological prevention support group in the Gwangmyeong Mental Health Welfare Center for 2 years, in 2020 and 2021.
Results:For children aged 7–12 years, there was no significant difference between the years 2020 and 2021 in the assessment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Conversely, for adolescents aged 13–18 years, there was a significant increase in the scale scores (CDI, PC-PTSD, and GAD-7).
Conclusion:Prolonged COVID-19 might have had a significant impact on the mental health of adolescents who spent a lot of time at school. When comparing the years 2020 and 2021, middle and high school students were more affected by COVID-19 than elementary school students.
