Psychosocial Wellbeing of Schoolchildren during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Berlin, Germany, June 2020 to March 2021

Stefanie Theuring (), Welmoed van Loon, Franziska Hommes, Norma Bethke, Marcus A. Mall, Tobias Kurth, Joachim Seybold and Frank P. Mockenhaupt
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Stefanie Theuring: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Welmoed van Loon: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Franziska Hommes: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Norma Bethke: Medical Directorate, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Marcus A. Mall: Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Tobias Kurth: Institute of Public Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Joachim Seybold: Medical Directorate, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Frank P. Mockenhaupt: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-11

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions have affected the wellbeing of schoolchildren worldwide, but the extent and duration of specific problems are still not completely understood. We aimed to describe students’ psychosocial and behavioral parameters and associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Berlin, Germany. Our longitudinal study included 384 students from 24 randomly selected Berlin primary and secondary schools, assessing psychosocial wellbeing at four time points between June 2020 and March 2021. We analyzed temporal changes in the proportions of anxiety, fear of infection, reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical activity and social contacts, as well as sociodemographic and economic factors associated with anxiety, fear of infection and HRQoL. During the observation period, the presence of anxiety symptoms increased from 26.2% (96/367) to 34.6% (62/179), and fear of infection from 28.6% (108/377) to 40.6% (73/180). The proportion of children with limited social contacts (<1/week) increased from 16.4% (61/373) to 23.5% (42/179). Low physical activity (<3 times sports/week) was consistent over time. Low HRQoL was observed among 44% (77/174) of children. Factors associated with anxiety were female sex, increasing age, secondary school attendance, lower household income, and the presence of adults with anxiety symptoms in the student´s household. Fear of infection and low HRQoL were associated with anxiety. A substantial proportion of schoolchildren experienced unfavorable psychosocial conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/2021. Students from households with limited social and financial resilience require special attention.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; students; school; Berlin; GAD-7; HRQoL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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