Since the corona pandemic, school performance, emotional functioning and social behavior among students have come under more pressure. This is evident from a surveyête of The New York Times, among 362 American school counselors.
Bron: 362 School Counselors on the Pandemic’s Effect on Children: ‘Anxiety Is Filling Our Kids’ – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Besides the fact that skills such as reading and math have declined during the pandemic, normal social interactions such as making and maintaining friendships, participating in group projects, dealing with frustrations and other emotions are more difficult. Many children have remained stuck at the same level of development during the pandemic. And children are more likely to think about suicide, the study shows.
Anxiety and Depression
Nearly all deans see more anxiety and depression among their students. “They have less stamina and show more frustration; there is less flexibility, commitment, perseverance and more escape and avoidance behavior,” said a Wisconsin dean.
Furthermore, according to the deans, children are more anxious and concerned about family and friends. And stressed because they are behind in school. There is also more fighting, according to the survey results.
“Students have missed crucial years of social and emotional development,” said a Chicago high school counselor. There also appears to be an increase in suicidal ideation, even among primary school children.
Staff shortage
Three quarters of the deans indicate that there is a staff shortage at their school, which means that there is no time to pay attention to children with problems. The increase in problems, the survey found, was partly related to how long a school was closed.
The Biden administration has nearly doubled its investment in promoting academic achievement, mental health and student support to $353 million this year, with some schools spending the corona money on counseling. Yet schools urgently need more resources, say people in the field.
Emergency
Before the pandemic, students’ health was already deteriorating. Researchers attribute this to rising internet use and loneliness, less sleep, less exercise and puberty that starts earlier. But the stressors of the past two years—routine disruption, illness and death, parents losing their jobs—have exacerbated the problems.
Pediatricians call it “a national emergency” and the head of the US Health Service calls the effect of the pandemic “devastating”.
Hopeful
Still, there are positives, too. A Colorado high school worker: “Kids are learning a lot about resilience and adversity, and we’re finally talking openly about mental health and suicide.” “I am hopeful that students have the ability to learn how to deal with these kinds of issues and ask for help when needed.”
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