Dėl COVID-19 pandemijos paskelbus karantiną, per trumpą laiką turėjo persiorientuoti ir persiorganizuoti visa švietimo sistema, kai vaikų ugdymo (dalykinio, socialinio, net fizinio) forma pakeista iš tiesioginės į nuotolinio ugdymo formą. Šis nenumatytų sąlygų sukeltas staigus pokytis paveikė ugdymo proceso dalyvių (vaikų, tėvų, mokytojų) sąveiką, įsitraukimą ir vaidmenis ugdymo procese; ugdymo aplinką, turinį ir pobūdį. Tai analogų neturinti patirtis, kurią būtina tirti idant būtų geriau pasirengta galimoms ateities krizėms. Todėl įvairių sričių ir krypčių - edukologijos, psichologijos, socialinio darbo, sociologijos ir medicinos mokslininkai susijungė bendram tyrimo projektui „Nuotolinis vaikų ugdymas pandemijos dėl COVID-19 metu: grėsmės bei galimybės ekosisteminiu požiūriu“, kurį 2020 m. birželio – gruodžio mėnesiais finansavo Lietuvos mokslo taryba (sutarties Nr. S-COV-20-11). Pagrindinis šio projekto tikslas - visapusiškai analizuoti privalomo nuotolinio ugdymo(si) iššūkius ugdymo procesui ir jo dalyviams (vaikams, tėvams, ugdytojams), grėsmes ir galimybes priešmokyklinių ir pirmų - aštuntų klasių vaikų fizinei ir psichikos sveikatai, saugumui ir mokymosi sėkmei bei parengti rekomendacijas švietimo, socialinės politikos formuotojams ir vykdytojams, mokyklų vadovams, mokytojams ir tėvams. Ši mokslo studija - tai labai intensyvaus plataus tyrimo, atlikto per trumpą laiką daugiadisciplininės mokslininkų komandos, rezultatas.

As a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 and consequent restrictions, the distance education was introduced in Lithuania in 2020 spring (the first lockdown, lasted for around 3 months) and 2020 autumn (the second lockdown, still lasting, June 2021). The prevalence of children’s mental health problems during the first lockdown was similar to pre-epidemic rates in Lithuania, but the prolonged lockdown (and therefore school closure) might have more negative consequences on children’s mental health. This study aimed to reveal the incidence of mental health problems as rated by parents with a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire during the second lockdown in school aged children. This research sample included data of 514 children (46% girls), aged 7 to 14 years old (mean age 10.15 years, SD = 3.47). The children’s mental health problems were assessed using a Lithuanian version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, parental form, in April–May 2021. Results revealed that 29.6% of Lithuanian children had scores in the clinical (abnormal) range of emotional problems and 21.6% – of conduct problems. Based on total difficulties score, 31.6% of children get in clinical range of emotional and behavioural problems, as rated by parents by the end of the second lockdown. The results are compared to pre-pandemic epidemiological rates of emotional and behavioural problems reported and those documented after the first quarantine in Lithuania and highlight important findings for professionals and policy makers about the detrimental effects of prolonged lockdown and school closure on children’s mental health.

Lithuania was one of the countries that applied quarantine during the rise of COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the duration of which was three months (from March 16th, 2020 to June 16th, 2020). Despite emerging literature showing negative effects of quarantine on children’s mental health, insight into specific risk factors is lacking due to limited longitudinal data. The aim of the present study was to analyse changes in Lithuanian pre-schoolers’ emotional and behavioural problems during the first quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic and their relations to the potential risk factors such as parental distress and increase in daily screen time. Parents of 78 children aged 4 to 6 (31% girls and 69% boys, mean age at the first measurement 66.1 months (SD = 10.33)) completed Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL/1½-5), questions on children’s screen time and physical activity and reported their distress before the quarantine (November 2019–February 2020) and at the end of it (May–June 2020). Results showed that children had more behavioral problems, spent more time on screens and were less physically active during the quarantine, and their parents were experiencing more distress than before. However, parental distress emerged as the only variable that predicted preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral problems during the quarantine after a child’s previous problems were taken into account. This highlights the importance of targeting support towards families raising children with behavioral problems, as the challenges they were already facing increase during quarantine and their parents may be more susceptible to less desirable practices such as providing children with more screen time as a way to cope with this situation.

Background. Children’s sleep problems are associated with temperament. One of the dimensions of temperament – higher emotional reactivity – is defined as a risk factor for children’s emotional, behavioral, and sleep problems. Screen-based media use is a very common phenomenon among children that relates to sleep problems. Still there is a gap of research explaining the interactions between children’s sleep problems, temperament, and parental discipline (sleep regime and rules for screen-based media use). The aim of this study is to evaluate the relations between preschool children’s sleep problems and parents’ discipline (sleep regime and rules for screen-based media use), and the role of children’s emotional reactivity. Methods. This research is a part of the longitudinal study “Electronic Media Use and Young Children’s Health” conducted in the year 2017–2018 and funded by the Research Council of Lithuanian (agreement no. GER-006/2017). Participants are 876 children aged 2 to 5 years old and their parents. Children’s sleep problems and emotional reactivity were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1½-5). Information about rules for screen-based media use and sleep regime was obtained using the parent-report questionnaire. Results. Sleep problems are related to emotional reactivity, sleep regime, and rules for screen media use. Children without regular sleep regime and without constant rules for screen-based media use have higher sleep problems and emotional reactivity. The results of the regression analysis show that emotional reactivity, together with sleep regime and rules for screen-based media use, significantly explain one-fifth to one-third of children’s sleep problems at different ages of the preschool period. However, the prognostic value of emotional reactivity and parental discipline varies according to a child’s age, as they are significant predictors of sleep problems among two, three and four-year-olds, but no longer explain sleep problems of five-year-olds. The path analysis confirmed that emotional reactivity, directly and through mediating variables, e.g., parental reported child’s sleep regime and rules for screen-based media use, is significantly associated with children’s sleep problems. Conclusions. Emotional reactivity should be considered as a significant risk factor in the relation between children’s sleep problems, sleep regime and parental applied rules for screen-based media use. These results are important while identifying children at higher risk for sleep problems. The results also support that parental discipline, such as sleep regime and rules for screen-based media use, are significant for preventing sleep problems in children with higher emotional reactivity.

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Šiame straipsnyje aprašomame tyrime analizuota, kaip su keturmečių miego sunkumais sąveikauja vaikų temperamento bruožai ir prieš metus vertintos motinų elgesio su vaikais strategijos Roma JusienėSocialinių mokslų daktarė profesorė Bendrosios psichologijos katedra Psichologinio konsultavimo ir mokymo centras Vilniaus universitetas Universiteto g. 9/1,