Persistent anxiety among high school students: Survey results from the second year of the COVID pandemic.
PLoS One
; 17(9): e0275292, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2054371
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
National mental health surveys have demonstrated increased stress and depressive symptoms among high-school students during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but objective measures of anxiety after the first year of the pandemic are lacking.METHODS:
A 25-question survey including demographics, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7) a validated self-administered tool to evaluate anxiety severity, and questions on achievement goals and future aspirations was designed by investigators. Over a 2-month period, all students from grade 9-12 in a single high-school (n = 546) were invited to complete an online survey after electronic parental consent and student assent. Bi-variate and chi-square analyses examined demographic differences in anxiety scores and the impact on outcomes; qualitative analyses examined related themes from open-ended questions.RESULTS:
In total, 155/546 (28%) completed the survey. Among students with binary gender classifications, 54/149 (36%) had GAD-7 scores in the moderate or severe anxiety range (scores≥10), with a greater proportion among females than males (47% vs 21%, P<0.001). Compared to students with GAD-7<10, those with ≥ 10 were more likely to strongly agree that the pandemic changed them significantly (51% vs 28%, p = 0.05), made them mature faster (44% vs 16%, p = 0.004), and affected their personal growth negatively (16% vs 6%, p = 0.004). Prominent themes that emerged from open-ended responses on regrets during the pandemic included missing out on school social or sports events, missing out being with friends, and attending family events or vacations.CONCLUSION:
In this survey of high school students conducted 2 years after the onset of COVID-19 in the United States, 47% of females and 21% of males reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms as assessed by the GAD-7. Whether heightened anxiety results in functional deficits is still uncertain, but resources for assessment and treatment should be prioritized.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
PLoS One
Journal subject:
Science
/
Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Journal.pone.0275292
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