Counselling support for the mental health of children in Hong Kong's international schools during the COVID-19 pandemic: parents' perspectives

Objective: This study investigated how school counsellors in international schools in Hong Kong supported the wellbeing of students and families during the period of school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of parents. Method: Sixteen parents with children in eleven different international schools in Hong Kong were interviewed and the data were analysed thematically. Results: Strong pre-existing relationships, role clarity, and open communication between counsellors and parents were associated with the effective adaptation of counselling services to the changing needs of parents during the school closure period, but these characteristics were often weak or absent. Conclusions: Parents' perceptions of counselling during the school closure period provide important feedback that schools can use to build more integrated and responsive support services. Counsellors can support students' wellbeing more effectively during crises by communicating their roles clearly, building strong relationships with parents, and helping students to maintain a diverse experience in their schooling. © 2021 Australian Psychological Society.

Temporal patterns of sleep and eating among children during school closure in Japan due to COVID-19 pandemic: associations with lifestyle behaviours and dietary intake.

OBJECTIVE: To identify temporal patterns of sleep and eating among school-age children during school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine their associations with lifestyle behaviours and dietary intake. DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, questionnaires were used to assess sleep and eating times, lifestyle behaviours and dietary intake during school closure. Latent class analysis was performed to identify temporal patterns of sleep and eating based on self-reported clock times for wake-up, going to bed and eating meals. Lifestyle behaviours and dietary intake were compared between latent classes. SETTING: Forty-eight primary and secondary schools in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Totally, 6220 children (aged 8-15 years). RESULTS: Four patterns, labelled 'Very early (20 % of children)', 'Early (24 %)', 'Late (30 %)' and 'Very late (26 %),' were identified and ordered according to the circadian timing. Latter patterns were characterised by later timings of sleep and eating, especially in clock times for wake-up, breakfast and lunch compared with earlier patterns. Children with latter patterns had a less physically active lifestyle, longer screen time (≥4 h/d), shorter study time (<2 h/d) and more frequent skipping of breakfast and lunch than those with earlier patterns. In addition, children with latter patterns had lower intakes of several vitamins, vegetables, fruits, fish and shellfish and dairy products and higher intakes of sugar and confectionaries and sweetened beverages. CONCLUSION: More than half of the participants had later wake-up, breakfast and lunch during school closure, which was associated with more unfavourable lifestyles and dietary intakes.

Implementation of a Transdiagnostic Universal Prevention Program on Anxiety in Junior High School Students After School Closure During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

School closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have worsened mental health problems for children and adolescents worldwide. We aimed to examine the follow-up effectiveness of a transdiagnostic universal prevention program for anxiety of junior high school students after a nationwide school closure during the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan. A total of 117 junior high school students were included in the analysis. We used the Unified Universal Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2) program; the Up2-D2 comprises cognitive-behavioral and positive psychological interventions provided over twelve 45-minute sessions. The program was originally implemented between June and July 2020, immediately after pandemic-related school closures had ended in Japan. The program assessments were based on students' responses to a questionnaire incorporating five scales to measure indicators such as internalizing and externalizing problems. Assessments were carried out before, immediately after, two-month, and six-month after implementing the program. Mixed models for the whole sample showed small anxiety improvement effects immediately post-intervention and two-month, and six-month assessments (g = -0.25, g = -0.44, and g = -0.30, respectively). The anxiety reducing effects were even greater for the higher-anxiety group at the post-, 2-month, and 6-month assessments (g = -1.48; g = -1.59; g = -1.06, respectively). Although there was no control group, these results indicate that the transdiagnostic universal prevention intervention reduce only anxiety, but not other outcomes (depression, anger, and self-efficacy) in junior high students returning to school following school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Adolescents' Time During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the American Time Use Survey.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to examine where and with whom adolescents spent time during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 2019. METHODS: Time diary data from the May 2019 to December 2020 waves of the American Time Use Survey were used to examine trends in where and with whom a sample of individuals aged 15-18 years (N = 437) spent their time. RESULTS: Only 13% of adolescents spent any time at school on a given day during the pandemic (May-December 2020), compared to 36% in the same period in 2019. Average time with friends decreased by 28%. Over the 7.5-month period, this amounts to an average of 204 fewer hours/34 fewer days in school and 86 fewer hours with friends. Time spent sleeping or sleepless did not change. DISCUSSION: Time at school and with friends decreased substantially during the first months of the pandemic.

Seeing the pandemic through children's eyes: Exploring Turkish children's views on COVID-19 pandemic by focus-group discussions.

BACKGROUND: The direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and youth people are well documented. Little is known about children's experiences of the pandemic in their own words. We aimed to explore Turkish children's experiences and views about the pandemic, across private and public educational systems. METHODS: Six focus group discussions were conducted online with 30 children aged between 7 to 18 years in 2021. Children were enrolled through snowball sampling technique according to developmental age groups. A thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: We identified five themes: Compliance with public health measures about preventing the spread of COVID-19, changes in daily routines, emotional responses to the pandemic, distance education, and adaptive responses. Overall, children were well informed and receptive to the public health preventive measures with the exception of older children's tendency to disregard physical distancing with friends. They reported frustration with those who did not comply with measures and believed that the authorities should strictly enforce public health requirements. Emotional responses comprised fear of family members and themselves being infected, anxiety produced by the uncertainty of the virus, and the loss of social support. There was a perceived disparity between students from public and private schools regarding academic self-competence. Positive aspects of the pandemic included positive interactions with family members and the acquisition of new hobbies. Although most children acknowledged the support of their parents to deal with challenges, children of health workers were particularly isolated in terms of emotional support. CONCLUSION: Our findings offer additional insights and validate previous research on the negative and positive effects of COVID-19 from the child's perspective across private and public educational systems. This study contributes to global advocacy efforts aimed at understanding the impact of the pandemic on children.

Increase in the Number and Duration of Sleep Episodes During Class After Reopening of Schools Following Closure due to COVID-19.

Sleep is important for the well-being of school-aged children. Almost all schools in Hyogo prefecture in Japan were closed from April 7 to May 31, 2020, owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The pandemic restrictions resulted in the disruption of the sleep routines of children. The number of children who experienced sleepiness in class after school closure increased. The number of children who visited our hospital 1 year before and after the closure was 208 (11.73 ± 3.24 years of age) and 155 (11.45 ± 3.30 years), respectively. The number of chief complaints of sleep-related symptoms at the first visits showed no significant difference between the two time periods. The percentage of patients who slept during class increased (but not significantly) after the school closure. However, the mean number and duration of sleep episodes during class significantly increased from 0.31 ± 0.76 to 1.04 ± 1.14 episodes/day and from 15.8 ± 38.6 to 45.7 ± 46.9 min/day (each P < 0.001) before and after school closure, respectively. The total number of patients in our hospital with the primary central disorders of hypersomnolence, i.e., narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and Kleine-Levin syndrome, and the number of patients with insufficient sleep syndrome after the school closure significantly increased compared with those before closure (P = 0.034 and 0.048, respectively). School closure was associated with an increased incidence of sleeping during class; therefore, maintaining a stable daily routine for children with sleep disorders could have an alleviating effect.

Impact of implementing and lifting COVID-19 lockdown on study and physical activity patterns among youths in China.

INTRODUCTION: The youths' study and physical activity (PA) patterns may have been affected by lockdown measures due to COVID-19. This study aimed to reveal how youths' study and PA patterns had changed after implementing and lifting COVID-19 lockdown in China. METHODS: The COVID-19 Impact on Lifestyle Change Survey (COINLICS) was used, where 10,082 youth participants have voluntarily reported their study and PA patterns in the three periods before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdown. PA was measured as the weekly frequency of engaging in active transport for commuting/errands, leisure-time walking, leisure-time moderate-/vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), and moderate-/vigorous-intensity housework (MVH); study patterns were measured as the daily average study time and the major study modes. We assessed differences of these variables across educational levels, sexes, and periods. RESULTS: The significant decreases were generally observed during lockdown in the frequency of active transport for commuting/errands (1.3 to 0.2 days/week), leisure-time walking (1.0 to 0.2 days/week), leisure-time MVPA (0.7 to 0.3 days/week), and MVH (2.3 to 2.0 days/week), with heterogeneities existing between sexes and across educational levels, except for the increase in MVH engagement among graduate students, especially female (1.5 to 2.4 days/week). Rebounds were observed in the frequency of all activities except MVH after lifting lockdown (2.0 to 1.9 days/week). The average study time generally increased during lockdown, with more youths studying for 1-4 hours/day and less studying for <1 hour/day, and further increased after lockdown. A main shift of study modes has been from in-class to online study after implementing lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: The youths' PA level have generally decreased and study patterns significantly changed during and after lockdown in China. Our results would inform policy-makers and education administrators of the declined PA levels and changed study patterns among youths during COVID-19 lockdown for better policy making. In-class and/or extracurricular PA programs could be designed to counteract those effects under cooperation of youths' parents.

The Mediation of Exam-oriented Cultural Capital: Economic Capital and Educational Inequality of Chinese High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic and School Closures.

While children and adolescents' education has been significantly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, how they are impacted remains unknown. Based on Bourdieu's theory, this paper aims to examine whether cultural capital mediates the association between economic capital and academic achievement during the crisis. Using a longitudinal dataset from the Chinese high school and the moderated mediation model, the result showed that economic capital had a total effect on academic achievement, especially on the students' academic ranks. Meanwhile, economic-related inequality in education seemed to be mediated by cultural capital. Interestingly, the finding further indicated that the indirect effect was mainly attributable to exam-oriented cultural capital, compared with quality-based cultural capital. we discussed the theoretical contributions and policy implications in the end.

School closures and mental health, wellbeing and health behaviours among children and adolescents during the second COVID-19 wave: a systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the impact of school closures, as a measure to contain the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection, on the psychological well-being of students of all levels starting from the 2020-2021 school year. DESIGN: a systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 Guidelines. The literature search was conducted on 4 different databases: MedLine, Embase, PsycINFO, and L.OVE Platform. Quantitative observational studies published until 10.01.2022 were included. Studies conducted during the first pandemic wave, i.e., during the 2019-2020 school year and/or during the mandatory lockdown or confinement period, were excluded. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed with validated scales. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were carried out independently by two authors. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: children, adolescents, and young people attending all levels of education (including universities) and, for reasons related to COVID-19, having a suspension of "in presence" school or attending classes remotely. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: a. outcomes directly related to mental health: suicides, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for psychiatric problems; anxiety and depression, emotional difficulties, feelings of loneliness and isolation; b. well-being outcomes: sleep quality, perceived well-being (by child/adolescent/youth or referred by parents); c. health-related behaviours: tobacco smoking, alcohol, drug use. Outcomes related to school/academic performance, physical health, and those related to parents were not considered. RESULTS: after having removed duplicate articles, 2,830 records were retrieved with the bibliographic search. Twelve studies (2 uncontrolled before-after studies and 10 cross sectional surveys) were included, involving a total of 27,787 participants. Three studies involved university students, 2 involved high school students, and the remaining involved a mixed population of students attending primary and middle schools. The studies were conducted between September 2020 and April 2021. The methodological quality was rated as high in five studies and intermediate in the remaining studies. Due to the high heterogeneity of outcome measures and statistical analyses performed among the included studies, it was not possible to conduct a meta-analysis of the results of the considered publications. Nevertheless, the present review showed a clear signal of increase in mental health problems in relation to school closure or virtual instruction. In particular, results suggest evidence of association between school closure and risk of suicidal attempts or thoughts, mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, emotional disorders, psychological stress. Sleeping problems, drug and alcohol addiction were poorly studied. CONCLUSIONS: despite the limitations of the included studies and possible residual confounding and contamination due to restrictive measures and social isolation implemented during the pandemic, the available evidence confirms the negative impact on students' mental health associated with school closures and distance learning. Given the availability of vaccination also for young children, a long period of school closure should be avoided also in the case of the emergence of new pandemic waves.

Teachers' Well-Being and Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hong Kong, China.

School teachers have faced many challenges due to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and public health-related containment measures. Recent studies have demonstrated high levels of stress and mental health issues among school teachers. To better understand teacher well-being and inform practices to support them in the face of the ongoing pandemic, we aimed to assess perceived stress, well-being and associated factors among school teachers in Hong Kong, China. For this cross-sectional study, we employed a self-reported questionnaire to assess teacher well-being as an indicator of mental health. Drawing on quantitative data obtained from 336 teachers in Hong Kong from April 2021 to February 2022, we assessed workloads, work-related sense of coherence, perceived stress, secondary burnout symptoms (i.e. intensification of work and exhaustion related to work situation), self-endangering work behaviours and satisfaction with work. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the associations between well-being, demographic and work characteristics. A high percentage (87.6%) of teachers had high levels of perceived stress, which was positively associated with extensification of work (r = 0.571, p < 0.01), intensification of work (r = 0.640, p < 0.01) and exhaustion related to work situation (r = 0.554, p < 0.01). A multilinear regression model adjusted for age and gender was computed to detect predictors of teachers' well-being index values (F(12, 296) = 41.405, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.627). A higher WHO-5 score was associated with (1) higher teaching hours (B = 0.235, 95% CI = 0.093, 0.413, p = 0.002); (2) higher work-related sense of coherence (B = 2.490, 95% CI = 0.209, 4.770, p = 0.032); (3) higher work satisfaction (B = 5.410, 95% CI = 2.979, 7.841, p < 0.001); (4) lower level of exhaustion related to work situations (B = -9.677, 95% CI = -12.279, -7.075, p < 0.001); and (5) lower level of psychosomatic complaints (B = -4.167, 95% CI = -6.739, -7.075, p = 0.002). These findings highlight the critical need to allocate more attention and resources to improve the mental health of school teachers in Hong Kong. The findings can also inform the development of psychological and organisational interventions and support mechanisms for teachers during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and in preparation for future stressful scenarios. Safeguarding the well-being and mental health of teachers is important for improving the quality of teaching and learning environments and the mental health of school students.

Well Played! Promoting Phonemic Awareness Training Using EdTech-GraphoGame Brazil-During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Early literacy skills such as alphabet knowledge and phonemic awareness are made up the foundation for learning to read. These skills are more effectively taught with explicit instruction starting inpreschool and then continuing during early elementary school years. The COVID19 pandemic school closures severely impacted early literacy development worldwide. Brazil had one of the longest school closure periods, which resulted in several children having no access to any educational activities. Education Technology (EdTech) tools can leverage access to pedagogical materials and remediate the consequences of school closure. We investigated the impact of using an early literacy EdTech, GraphoGame Brazil, to foster learning of early literacy skills during the height of COVID19 school closures, in Brazil. We carried out a quasi-experimental, pretest and posttest study with elementary school students who were taking online classes. Participants were pseudo randomly assigned to (1) an experimental group, who played GraphoGame Brazil, and to (2) an active control group, who played an EdTech that focuses on early numeracy skills. The results show a significant positive training effect on word reading accuracy associated with the use of GraphoGame for the children in the experimental group, relative to the control group. We also found statistically significant negative effect in lowercase naming for the control group. We address the consequences of COVID19 school closures, the promise of EdTech and its limitations, and discuss the issue of fostering successful early literacy instruction in countries that have struggled with teaching children to read even before the pandemic.

Psychological impact of school closure and social isolation on female students during Covid-19: A case study from Bangladesh.

This article describes the socio-psychological effects of school closure on school-going urban girls in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It illustrates the life of urban students in Bangladesh during the school-closing time and relates it to their previous normal life. It asserts that the strengths of traditional schools have important relevance to socialization, which was significantly disturbed during the pandemic due to home confinement. Based on both qualitative and quantitative data, the following components led to an understanding of the schools' role in the socialization of urban female students in Bangladesh: emotional attachments, interpersonal interactions, and physical activity. During confinement, the absence of these components put the students' socialization process at risk, resulting in socio-psychological changes in activities and behavioral patterns. Finally, the article recommends not considering online classes as the "new normal"; working toward vaccination and obtaining suitable health equipment for the reopening of traditional schools will do more to ensure the socio-psychological health of future generations.