51.7 Impact of Covid-19–related School Closures on Children and Adolescents Worldwide: A Literature Review

Abstract

Objectives: In response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many countries have temporarily closed educational institutions. As of June 10, 2020, more than 1.1 billion students have been affected by pandemic-related school closures. This literature review seeks to highlight key areas in which the mental health of children and adolescents worldwide are impacted by school closures. Methods: A search of Google Scholar and PubMed electronic databases was conducted using search terms including "COVID-19," "school closure," "mental health," and "anxiety" in various permutations. We selected 11 of the 79 initial search results that specifically addressed school-closure effects on the pediatric population, which included 1 longitudinal study, 1 crosssectional study, and 9 commentaries, and then we performed a narrative review.Results: Regarding broad impacts on the general school-age population, several publications identified a significant increase in both sedentary behavior and screen time. Several papers also highlighted the loss of structure afforded by school routine and its disruption of mood, organization, and motivation. Adolescents experience significant anxiety regarding academic performance associated with the disruption of standardized exams and unfamiliar online learning modalities. Increased time spent at home may also present significant risk to students with stressful, unstable, or abusive home environments. School closures also exert a significant impact on existing social disparities. Food insecurity is significantly exacerbated by the loss of scheduled school meals, further compounded by the increased financial burden of a COVID-related economic recession. Similarly, access to health care, including school nurses and mental health services, is limited. Many online learning tools require devices, internet connection, and a suitable learning environment, presenting a severe disadvantage for children of lowerincome households. Conclusions: School closure is an ongoing, unprecedented disruption in the lives of billions of children and adolescents worldwide. As the education system continues to change in response to COVID-19, it is vital to identify and address impacts on the mental health of this population of students, especially in the context of social disparities and inequalities.

Minimal SARS-CoV-2 Transmission After Implementation of a Comprehensive Mitigation Strategy at a School — New Jersey, August 20–November 27, 2020

“…Whereas cases in the broader community were likely underascertained and the incidence underestimated, the ability of the boarding school to maintain a consistent incidence over time while the surrounding community experienced a substantial increase in cases suggests that the mitigation measures instituted by the school were effective. Similar to other school settings ( 1 ), the initial sources of infection for most identified cases were likely outside the school. Mandatory twice-weekly screening indicated minimal on-campus transmission, suggesting that routine testing and mitigation protocols focused on distancing and universal masking that are consistently implemented can succeed in reducing the likelihood of on-campus transmission ( 8 ).…”

“…During fall 2020, many U.S. kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) schools closed campuses and instituted remote learning to limit in-school transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 ( 1 , 2 ). A New Jersey grade 9–12 boarding school with 520 full-time resident students, 255 commuter students, and 405 faculty and staff members implemented a comprehensive mitigation strategy that included universal masking, testing, upgraded air-handling equipment to improve ventilation, physical distancing of ≥6 ft, contact tracing, and quarantine and isolation protocols to prevent and control transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among students, faculty, and staff members.…”

Facilitating Well-Rounded Clinical Experience for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Students

“…The impact on children has also been cited in the literature as students have lost the daily structure that comes with going to school, are more engaged in screen time, experience disruption in mood and increased anxiety, and have become sedentary. 14 This negatively affects their mental health and leads to difficulties in overall functioning, which must be addressed by assessment and early intervention for at risk children and adolescents.…”

COVID-19 and its impact on educational environment in India

“…Several other countries have implemented localized closures impacting millions of additional learners” (Charissi et al 2020 ). Besides, “social distance” and “online learning” completely changed the perception of students towards educational environment (Arora et al 2021a ; Rakic et al 2020 ; Sheen et al 2020 ). The educational catastrophe caused by COVID-19 ensued in teachers being compelled to entrust on digital technology as the primary teaching and learning means irrespective of their contemporary technology-related credence and practices (Attard and Holmes 2020 ).…”

“…Students are driven towards self-learning and not to agonize of COVID and sleep peacefully (Khan et al 2020 ). However, many studies find psychological problems faced by students during COVID situation (Arora et al 2021b ; Pragholapati 2020 ; Sheen et al 2020 ). Most frequent factors hindering the learning process is the limitation on the number of participants, time limitation of the sessions, and technical faults during the conduct of sessions (Cheng and Lam 2021 ; Kecojevic et al 2020 ).…”