The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents: An Opportunity to Build Resilient Systems.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents is significant. Educational progress and mental health, in particular, have been negatively affected. Among youth from vulnerable communities, pre-existing academic and health disparities have been exacerbated. Youth outcomes are often attributed to individual resilience - or lack thereof; in this paper, we describe how failure to adapt and effectively cope at the system level (ie, lack of system resilience) is implicated in the current dual educational and mental crisis. We describe opportunities to make our systems more nimble and better-equipped to support youth moving forward.

The feasibility and promise of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training with teachers and school personnel in high‐poverty schools

This study examined the feasibility and promise of using virtual Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training (DBT‐ST) with educators. DBT‐ST was offered to 39 educators (89% female, mean age 46.45) in one high‐poverty school district during the COVID‐19 pandemic using a pre–post design. Educators attended five of eight groups (Mode = 8) and there were statistically significant decreases in stress (p = .001, rrb = −.51) and dysfunctional coping (p = .000, rrb = −.57), and increases in DBT skill use (p = .016, rrb = .44). Ratings on anxiety and depression were unchanged. The χ2 analyses indicated a significant relationship between stress and attendance with the high stress group more likely to attend the groups than the low stress group, χ2(1) = 4.88, p = .027. DBT‐ST may be feasible for teachers but future considerations regarding the role of mental health personnel in delivering teacher health and wellness interventions is warranted. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Psychology in the Schools is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Supporting teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A community-partnered rapid needs assessment.

Using a community-partnered research framework, the goal of this study was to rapidly assess coronavirus disease (COVID-19) impact on teachers, students, and families and guidance received to navigate distance learning. Participants were teachers (N = 430) working in elementary schools (n = 301), middle schools (n = 56), high schools (n = 60), and other schools (n = 13) in two large urban school districts heavily impacted by COVID-19. Results indicated teacher concerns regarding student instructional loss and exposure to direct and indirect COVID-related trauma. There were mean differences in teacher concern by school level (p = .001, η² = .033) with elementary teachers reporting the greatest concerns regarding instructional loss. Over 40% of teachers reported that more than 20% of their students had a family member infected with COVID-19 or employed as a frontline healthcare worker. Approximately 99% of teachers reported a significant gap in student access to the internet and distance learning devices. Teachers reported receiving more school than district guidance regarding distance learning, student engagement, and using social emotional learning (SEL) programs. Results informed professional development priorities for educators and immediate supports needed for students and families. Study limitations and future directions for research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Psychological, Academic, and Economic Impact of COVID-19 on College Students in the Epicenter of the Pandemic

Initial research has indicated that college students have experienced numerous stressors as a result of the pandemic. The current investigation enrolled the largest and most diverse sample of college students to date (N = 4714) from universities in New York (NY) and New Jersey (NJ), the epicenter of the North American pandemic in Spring 2020. We described the impact on the psychological, academic, and financial health of college students who were initially most affected and examined racial/ethnic group differences. Results indicated that students? mental health was severely affected and that students of color were disproportionately affected by academic, financial, and COVID-related stressors. Worry about COVID-19 infection, stressful living conditions, lower grades, and loneliness emerged as correlates of deteriorating mental health. COVID-19?s mental health impact on college students is alarming and highlights the need for public health interventions at the university level.