ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has been an extraordinary moment of uncertainty and rapid transformation. The effects lockdowns had on youths' mental and physical health, as well as the challenges they posed for young peoples' learning, were of great concern. It quickly became clear that government responses to COVID-19, in particular regarding the social determinants of health, were not equally experienced across all social groups. This paper adopts an interdisciplinary lens at the intersection of health and education and uses Max Weber's lifestyle theory to analyze the inequitable experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine most directly social inequities in education during the first wave of COVID-19 and explore long-term effects on youths' educational opportunities, health, and well-being. METHODS: We use focus group materials collected from our Spring 2020 study. This study explored how youth were differentially experiencing the pandemic. Participants included 18 youth between the ages of 13 and 18 (11 girls, 7 boys). Participants were stratified by private and public secondary schools and we ran focus groups in which experiences of the pandemic were discussed. RESULTS: Our results show (1) clear differences in early access to education for youth who attended public and private institutions in Quebec during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) access to the internet and computers offset learning opportunities for students across Quebec throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) few of the differences experienced during the pandemic were based on youth's behaviours, or life choices, but rather stemmed from differences in material and structural opportunities, based largely, but not solely, on what type of school the youth attended (public or private). CONCLUSION: The way in which the COVID-19 pandemic was handled by the Quebec education system deepened existing social inequities in education between private and public school attendees. Given the importance of education as one of the main determinants of health, particularly during transition periods such as adolescence, we must ensure that future policies do not repeat past mistakes.
RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: La pandémie de la COVID-19 a été un moment d'incertitude et de transformation rapide hors du commun, soulevant des questions inédites sur les effets du confinement sur la santé mentale et physique des jeunes ainsi que sur les défis engendrés en termes d'apprentissage chez les jeunes. Il s'est rapidement avéré que les réponses du gouvernement à la COVID-19, en particulier en ce qui concerne les déterminants sociaux de la santé, n'étaient pas vécues de la même manière dans tous les groupes sociaux. Cet article adopte une optique interdisciplinaire à l'intersection de la santé et de l'éducation et utilise la théorie du mode de vie de Max Weber pour analyser l'expérience inéquitable de la pandémie de COVID-19. Nous examinons plus directement les inégalités sociales dans l'éducation pendant la première vague de COVID-19 et explorons les effets à long terme sur la santé et le bien-être des jeunes. MéTHODES: Nous utilisons les données recueillies lors de notre étude du printemps 2020 qui a exploré comment les jeunes vivaient différemment la pandémie. Les participants sont 18 jeunes âgés de 13 à 18 ans (11 filles, 7 garçons). Les participants ont été stratifiés par écoles secondaires privées et publiques et nous avons organisé des groupes de discussion dans lesquels les expériences de la pandémie ont été discutées. RéSULTATS: Nos résultats montrent 1) de nouvelles et profondes inégalités sociales dans le système d'éducation qui ont été créées par les mesures de confinement gouvernementales au Québec et 2) un accès inéquitable aux ressources mobilisées pour s'adapter aux mesures gouvernementales. CONCLUSION: L'étude du cas des inégalités sociales en contexte d'éducation pendant la pandémie offre d'importants apprentissages sur les inégalités sociales en général. Nous concluons cette étude en réfléchissant à l'espace intersectoriel important entre l'éducation et la santé pour les jeunes.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Male , Female , Adolescent , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Communicable Disease Control , Students , SchoolsABSTRACT
Adolescence is a time of increased risk for developing symptoms of anxiety and depression, especially for girls. The stress and social isolation experienced during confinement add new threats to already vulnerable adolescents' daily lives. This study is aimed at determining which sociodemographic characteristics (age, family composition, achievement), confinement habits (schedule, new hobby, sleep duration, cellphone and computer use, sports, schoolwork), and sources of support (parents and teachers) are associated with more or less internalized symptoms in Canadian adolescents. Differences between boys and girls are also investigated. Between April 8 and 30 (2020) and through an online survey, 895 Canadian adolescents (74% girls) aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.7) were recruited. Path analysis was performed to identify significant associations between sociodemographic characteristics, confinement habits, support variables, and internalized symptoms. Independent samples t-tests and invariance tests were conducted to compare boys and girls. Results suggest that certain confinement habits (time spent using cellphones, doing sports and schoolwork, finding a new hobby) and support variables (parents working outside the home) were significantly and negatively associated with internalized symptoms. Regarding the sex differences, girls used their cellphones more and invariance test results showed that all associations between predictors and symptoms were statistically similar for boys and girls. This study's results help understand better adolescents' experience in confinement. It sheds light on the habits likely to characterize those who are less at risk of experiencing distress, making it possible to better support adolescents during this challenging period.