Supporting the Mental Health of Students, Families, and Teachers

• In Event: Community Organizing During the Pandemic: Partnerships With Leaders, Teachers, and Families

Abstract

Objectives
Risks to mental health have been heightened as social distancing and isolation have become the new normal during the pandemic. Children have not been spared from the effects of the disruption of normal daily routines, family illness and/or death, or parental loss of employment. In this context, schools are not only charged with addressing academic needs in a remote learning environment, but also with supporting the mental health and socioemotional needs in the wake of COVID-19. To address challenges faced by schools, we have convened a working group to address the following question: How do we best support the mental health of students, families, and educators?

Perspectives
Existing disparities in access to both quality education and health care have been exacerbated by COVID-19, particularly among low-income families and those from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020; Herold, 2020). The mental wellbeing of children with special needs have been particularly impacted by disruptions in traditional school service models. In addition, children and adults with no prior diagnosed mental or emotional issues have needs that are now being brought to light as COVID-19 has impacted both schools and homes (Imran, Zeshar & Pervaiz, 2020).

Data/modes of inquiry
To inform our working group, we relied on survey data from 430 middle school students and interviews with 35 educators and family members from our partner schools. These background data helped inform the focus of our initial efforts to provide a targeted set of resources aimed at supporting mental health. Based on these data, our team will launch a social media campaign to deliver research-based practices that address the following concerns: 1) children’s lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns and other signs of loneliness and depression, 2) parent anxiety about their children’s wellbeing in addition to their own as a result of new responsibilities, during the pandemic, and 3) teachers’ struggle to balance parental and professional responsibilities with limited resources. Our subsequent workgroups with community members will be utilized to both elicit feedback on this initial first attempt at providing accessible information and co-design additional systems of support that are responsive to the real-time needs of educators, families, and young people.

Results
Thus far, we have begun to develop a social media platform to provide our partners with accessible information (in multiple languages) that is designed to 1) connect families to mental health specialists/providers, 2) migrate physical events and community spaces to a virtual environment to promote social interaction among students, 3) curate activities that have been shown to reduce anxiety and support mental health, and 4) feature resources that address the toll of racism on mental health.

Significance
This work speaks to one of the deleterious effects of the pandemic--the toll on the mental health of students, teachers, and families. It also provides a model for how to engage community partners at multiple stages to ground our understanding in their voices and experiences, while creating solutions together.

Authors

• Brandy Tenille Gatlin-Nash, University of California, Irvine

• Ashlee B. Belgrave, University of California - Irvine

• Phebe Chew, University of California - Irvine

• Ha Eun Kim, University of California - Irvine

• Jennifer R Renick, University of California - Irvine