Psychosocial Health of K-12 Students Engaged in Emergency Remote Education and In-Person Schooling: A Cross-Sectional Study

Daniel Acosta, Yui Fujii, Diana Joyce-Beaulieu, K. D. Jacobs, Anthony T. Maurelli, Eric J. Nelson and Sarah L. McKune
Additional contact information
Daniel Acosta: Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Yui Fujii: College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Diana Joyce-Beaulieu: Department of Special Education, School Psychology & Early Childhood Studies, College of Education, University of Florida, 618 S.W. 12th Street, P.O. Box 117050/1801, Norman Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-7050, USA
K. D. Jacobs: College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Anthony T. Maurelli: Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Eric J. Nelson: Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Sarah L. McKune: Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-21

Abstract: As online classes became the norm in many countries as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concern for child and adolescent mental health became an issue of concern. This study evaluates the differences in the psychosocial status of school children based on engagement in in-person or Emergency Remote Education (ERE) and assessed the prevalence and predictors of symptom-derived risk levels for anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Cross-sectional data were collected from students at a Florida K-12 school and their household members through an online survey conducted in October 2020 ( n = 145). No significant difference was found between ERE and in-person learning for risk of anxiety, depression, or OCD. Prevalence of students presenting as at risk for anxiety, depression, and OCD was 42.1%, 44.8%, and 41.4%. Several student factors (e.g., child sex, school level) and parental factors (e.g., parental COVID-19 attitudes) were associated with students presenting as at risk for anxiety, depression, or OCD; child’s participation in sports was protective against all three outcomes. Participation in sports was found to be protective against risk of anxiety (aOR = 0.36, CI = 0.14–0.93), depression (aOR = 0.38, CI = 0.15–0.93), and OCD (aOR = 0.31, CI = 0.11–0.85).

Keywords: COVID-19; students; psychosocial health; virtual learning; depression; anxiety; OCD; environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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