The Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 on PK-12 Students: A Systematic Review of Emerging Literature

• Main Authors: David Naff (Author), Shenita Williams (Author), Jenna Furman-Darby (Author), Melissa Yeung (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: SAGE Publishing, 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

The mental health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on PK-12 youth is likely an urgent and enduring concern, yet research on this topic is still emerging. To synthesize current knowledge, the researchers conducted a systematic review of empirical studies exploring the mental health impacts of COVID-19. Five themes emerged across 104 included studies: (a) the pandemic proved widely disruptive to PK-12 youth; (b) there was a clear connection between the mental health of caregivers (e.g., parents) and children; (c) the pandemic broadly increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in PK-12 youth; (d) students were particularly affected on the basis of age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and previous mental health or disability diagnosis; and (e) youth demonstrated negative and positive coping strategies and even saw some positive mental health outcomes during the pandemic. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Item Description

2332-8584
10.1177/23328584221084722