The present study deals with the influence of various psychological factors faced by adults during the educational process at Second Chance Schools in Greece. We studied how the feelings of shame, anxiety and depression were associated with the demographic characteristics of the adult learners of these schools. Ninety-five trainees took part in the research whose results indicated that socio-demographic characteristics have an impact on psychological factors that can contribute to the educational process of adult learners. Sex and marital status were related to the feeling of shame (especially the body shame) and this may be an inhibitory factor to initial integration in or continuation with the studies in SCSs. Single and employed individuals were less vulnerable to development of depression and anxiety disorders, which has been found to have a negative effect on academic achievement. Based on such aspects, counseling approaches and interventions could be designed and implemented by Counselors Psychologists to improve the counseling services provided by the SCSs.
COVID-19 has globally impacted both physical and mental health. This study aimed to explore the impact of Second Chance Schools (SCS) and the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and self-image of Greek SCS students. A total of 251 SCS students from two consecutive study cycles participated, completing the research instruments at the beginning and end of their studies. Participants’ anxiety, depressive symptomatology, well-being, self-esteem and self-efficacy were evaluated by means of the GAD-7, PHQ-8, WHO-5 Well-being Index, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, respectively. The research spanned three years, including a year of universal lockdown, a year with protective measures and a year without anti-COVID-19 measures. Factor analysis, regression analyses and two two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were applied to the collected data. All five psychological dimensions measured by the study’s instruments were grouped into two factors, namely mental health and self-image. Well-being positively influenced mental health, while anxiety and depression had a negative impact. On the other hand, self-efficacy and self-esteem positively contributed to self-image. Mental health and self-image were moderately correlated. Pre-SCS values of mental health and self-image predicted a higher percentage of variance in post-SCS values compared to anxiety, depression, well-being, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Moreover, mental health improved after the completion of SCS, but only for participants after the lifting of anti-COVID-19 measures. Conversely, self-image improved for all participants regardless of the presence of anti-COVID-19 measures. Overall, the SCS had a considerable impact on the participants’ mental health and self-image, although the effect was influenced by COVID-19.
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