A Comparison of Psychiatric Concerns in Canadian Adolescents Across School Modalities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Some have argued that a return to in-person schooling is critical for improved mental health. However, to date, there is little to no data available on whether attending school in-person, online, or in a hybrid model may be associated with different rates of psychiatric problems among youth. The purpose of this study was to examine whether rates of psychiatric problems are differentially represented in Canadian youth attending school in-person, entirely online, or in a hybrid model. Adolescents (N=601; 50.1% female, 70.4% White, Mage=15.74, SD=1.45) were recruited via social media. While controlling for age, gender, province and number of weeks since the beginning of the pandemic, there was no statistical difference between school modalities on psychiatric symptoms. Our results did not identify a relationship between school modality and psychiatric concern, suggesting that youth mental health has been broadly and negatively impacted by the pandemic independent of the way youth attend school.