COVID-19 Stress and Coping and Associations With Internalizing Problems in 4th Through 12th Grade Students

Qualitative Evaluation of the Impact of a School Mental Health Literacy Curriculum on Student-Teacher Relationships

Mental health literacy (MHL) programs, which aim to improve knowledge, reduce stigma and promote help-seeking behavior, are a promising approach to meeting the growing mental and behavioral health needs of youth. This study aimed to understand the relational impacts of a MHL curriculum on students and teachers. A MHL curriculum was delivered in middle school classrooms across 11 schools in two diverse school districts in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Fifteen teachers and counselors who delivered the MHL curriculum participated in focus groups to describe their experiences using the curriculum and perceptions of its impact. Qualitative focus group data were analyzed via team-based inductive thematic analysis following a grounded theory approach. Findings indicate that educators perceived the universal school MHL program to have a positive impact on relationships amongst students and between students and teachers. Participants reported that the MHL curriculum helped to open conversations about mental health and related topics by developing common language and providing an opportunity to model vulnerability. Having these conversations improved classroom rapport and helped teachers develop deeper connections with students. As a result, teachers and students achieved greater empathy and students advocated more for themselves and their peers. Implications for integrating MHL programs into multi-tiered frameworks in schools to expand access to mental health supports are discussed.

Adolescent psychological adjustment and social supports during pandemic-onset remote learning: A national multi-wave daily-diary study

In spring 2020, U.S. schools universally transitioned to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic's onset, thus creating a natural experiment for examining adolescents' risk and resilience during an ongoing school crisis response. This longitudinal study used a daily-diary approach to investigate the role of social support in the link between remote learning and psychological well-being across 64 days among a national sample of adolescents (n = 744; 42% Black, 36% White, 22% Other ethnicity/race; 41% boys; 72% eligible for free/reduced-priced lunch; Mage=14.60, SDage=1.71, age-range = 12-17 years). On days when youth attended remote learning, they reported lower daily positive affect, more daily stress, and higher parent social support. There were no significant differences in the effect of remote learning on affect or stress by race or economic status. On days when youth experienced more parent support, they reported lower daily stress and negative affect and higher daily positive affect. On days when youth experienced more peer support, they reported higher daily positive affect. Overall, the study highlights the impact of pandemic-onset remote learning on adolescents' psychological well-being and emphasizes the need for future research on school crisis contingency planning to address these challenges.

Assessment of Youth Coping and Appraisals Through a Timelining Activity: Validation and Utility of a Tool for Pediatric Research and Practice

INTRODUCTION

Many tools to assess coping in youth fail to engage youth meaningfully in the assessment process. This study aimed to evaluate a brief timeline activity as an interactive way to assess appraisal and coping in pediatric research and practice.

METHOD

We used a mixed method convergent design to collect and analyze survey and interview data from 231 youths aged 8-17 years in a community-based setting.

RESULTS

The youth engaged readily in the timeline activity and found the activity easy to understand. Relationships among appraisal, coping, subjective well-being and depression were in the hypothesized directions, suggesting the tool supports a valid assessment of appraisals and coping in this age group.

DISCUSSION

The timelining activity is well-accepted by youth and supports reflexivity, prompting youth to share insights on strengths and resilience. The tool may augment existing practices for assessing and intervening in youth mental health in research and practice.

The compounded effect of the dual pandemic on ethnic-racial minority adolescents' mental health and psychosocial well-being

During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. youth faced various stressors that affected their schooling experiences, social relationships, family dynamics, and communities. These stressors negatively impacted youths' mental health. Compared to White youths, ethnic-racial minority youths were disproportionately affected by COVID-19-related health disparities and experienced elevated worry and stress. In particular, Black and Asian American youths faced the compounded effects of a dual pandemic due to their navigation of both COVID-19-related stressors and increased exposure to racial discrimination and racial injustice, which worsened their mental health outcomes. However, protective processes such as social support, ethnic-racial identity, and ethnic-racial socialization emerged as mechanisms that attenuated the effects of COVID-related stressors on ethnic-racial youths' mental health and promoted their positive adaptation and psychosocial well-being.

Students' Perceptions of COVID-19 Stress and Internalizing Problems: Is Social Support a Buffer?

The current study investigated the associations among student perceptions of COVID-19 stress, internalizing problems, and school social support (teacher and classmate support) and how these relations differed across elementary/middle and high school students. Based on data from 526 4th- through 12th-grade students from a school district in the Northeast, we found that COVID-19-related stress was significantly related to internalizing problems for all students, regardless of grade level. We also found that teacher social support, but not classmate social support, buffered the positive relation between COVID-19 stress and internalizing problems. The results of the current study have implications for school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other educators in alleviating COVID-19-related stress in students and associated symptoms of internalizing problems in students. As the pandemic unwinds, future research should examine the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for students with marginalized identities, and how teacher and/or peer support may play a role in buffering these stressors for students.

Mental Health Trajectories of Latinx Female Caregivers and Young Children During COVID-19: A Longitudinal Analysis

Studies of the impact of COVID-19 on mental health symptoms suggest that there may be a unique impact of COVID-19 on minoritized individuals, young children (children five and younger), and their caregivers. Longitudinal studies with representative samples including minoritized populations are needed to accurately reflect the experience of families during COVID-19. The current study used a longitudinal design to assess trajectories of mental health among Latinx female caregivers and their young children over time, beginning prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and over the course of 12 months. In fall of 2019, Latinx female caregivers (N = 213; 93.0% biological mother) of young children (M age  = 5.38, SD = 0.34) reported on their own and their child's (52.6% female) mental health symptoms, as well as parenting stress, at three time points through Fall of 2020. Growth curve models showed that self-report of caregiver global mental health worsened over time, though caregiver depression and parenting stress did not change significantly, nor did caregiver-report of their children's mental health. Results suggest that while female caregiver well-being was adversely affected by COVID-19, caregivers showed resilience in the face of this pandemic, which in turn may have buffered the impact of the pandemic on Latinx child mental health. Methodological and contextual implications of these results are considered.

The brief COPE-A inventory in Russian for adolescents: Validation and evaluation of psychometric properties

In this paper, the results of a psychometric analysis of a Brief Russian-language version of the COPE-A inventory for adolescents are presented. The inventory was designed for identifying coping strategies used in stressful situations and is comprised of 31 items. The study involved 3530 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years old. Using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, it was shown that the data correspond to the expected six-factor configuration, but the distribution of items by factors differs from the theoretical structure. To improve the factor structure, two questions were excluded; the final version included 29 items. The resulting inventory's scales turned out to be highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha values range from 0.72 to 0.89). Additionally, the construct validity of the method was assessed. In conclusion, the adapted version of the Brief COPE-A is suitable for use in the adolescent population.

Self-reported Illness Experiences and Psychosocial Outcomes for Reservation-Area American Indian Youth During COVID-19

IMPORTANCE

Impacts of COVID-19 on reservation-area American Indian youth are unknown and may be substantial owing to the significant COVID-19 morbidity and mortality experienced by American Indian populations.

OBJECTIVE

To measure self-reported illness experiences and changes in psychosocial factors during the COVID-19 pandemic among reservation-area American Indian youth.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study included a random sample of US schools on or near US Indian reservations during Spring 2021, stratified by region, with students in grades 6 to 12 completing cross-sectional online surveys. All enrolled self-identifying American Indian students in grades 6 to 12 attending the 20 participating schools were eligible to be surveyed; participants represented 60.4% of eligible students in these schools. Data were analyzed from January 5 to July 15, 2022.

EXPOSURES

Onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Outcomes of interest were COVID-19 self-reported illness outcomes for self and family and close friends; perceived changes in family and friend relationships, school engagement, social isolation, and other psychological factors since the COVID-19 pandemic began; and worry over COVID-19-related health outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 2559 American Indian students (1201 [46.9%] male; 1284 [50.2%] female; 70 [2.7%] another gender; mean [SD] 14.7 [8.9] years) were included in the analysis. Approximately 14% of the sample reported having had a test result positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (14.3% [95% CI, 11.4%-17.6%]), a higher rate than for all cases nationally at the time of the survey. Regarding prevalence of COVID-19 among family and close friends, 75.4% (95% CI, 68.8%-80.9%) of participants reported having at least 1 family member or friend who had contracted COVID-19, while 27.9% (95% CI, 18.8%-39.3%) of participants reported that at least 1 family member or close friend had died of COVID-19. Regarding psychosocial impacts, COVID-19 was associated with strained friend relationships (eg, 34.0% [95% CI, 28.4%-40.0%] of students reported worry over losing friends), lower school engagement, and less social connectedness (eg, 62.2% [95% CI, 56.7%-67.4%] of students reported feeling less socially connected to people), although more than 60% of students also reported feeling no change or a decrease in negative emotions. Males were less likely to report perceived negative impacts, especially for negative emotions such as sadness (29.2% [95% CI, 23.3%-35.9%] of males vs 46.1% [95% CI, 43.9%-48.3%] of females reported feeling more sad) and anxiety (21.8% [95% CI, 18.2%-25.8%] of males vs 39.2% [95% CI, 34.1%-44.6%] of females reported feeling more anxious).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This cross-sectional study provides novel insight into the perceived experiences of reservation-area American Indian youth, a population at uniquely elevated risk of poor health status and health care access, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although mortality and morbidity rates from COVID-19 were high on American Indian reservations, student reports of psychosocial impacts were complex and suggest many students were resilient in the face of the pandemic. These findings could be used to understand and address the challenges facing American Indian youth due to the pandemic and to guide future research that examines the factors and processes associated with the reported outcomes.

"I miss my school!": Examining primary and secondary school students' social distancing and emotional experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic

With the rapid spread of Covid-19, countries around the world implemented strict protocols ordering schools to close. As a result, educational institutions were forced to establish a new form of schooling by implementing emergency remote education. Learning from home during the Covid-19 pandemic brought numerous changes, challenges, and stressors to students' daily lives. In this context, major concerns have been raised based on the reports of students' negative experiences resulting from social distancing and isolation. Given the impact of Covid-19 on many aspects of students' lives, in particular their social and school experiences, research that provides insights into the consequences of this health crisis for students' well-being has become important. This study aims to explore students' experiences of social distancing and its relation to their negative emotional experiences during Germany's first Covid-19-related school closure. Findings indicate that both primary and secondary students missed their friends and classmates and that primary school students perceived higher levels of social distancing. However, a linear regression analysis indicated that the older the students were, the more negatively affected they were by social distancing. The implications of the study's results and further lines of research are discussed.