Do COVID-19 Infections Have Effects on Cognitive Abilities of Primary School Students? Results of a Representative Study in Burgenland, Austria

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Abstract

This study explores the cognitive impacts of COVID-19 infections on primaryschool children in Austria. Employing a sample of 1,761 second and third graders, we assessed whether children recovering from COVID-19 exhibited cognitive deficits relative to their uninfected peers. Cognitive performance was measured using the Cognitive Abilities Test (KFT 1-3), which evaluates language comprehension, relation recognition, inductive reasoning, and numerical thinking. Our analyses revealed significant cognitive discrepancies in numerical reasoning and verbal comprehension between the control group and certain recovery subgroups, suggesting potential adverse effects of COVID-19 on cognitive functioning. However, the magnitude of these effects was small, and the long-term persistence of these impacts remains uncertain. Further research is necessary to determine the enduring consequences of COVID-19 on child cognitive development.

Authors

• Thomas Leitgeb, University of Education Burgenland

• Wolfram Rollett, University of Oldenburg

• Katja Scharenberg, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich