The Impact of Home Schooling and Social Isolation on Children During COVID-19

• In Event: The Cascading Educational Impacts of COVID-19

Abstract

On March 12, 2020, the Norwegian government introduced extensive public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Childcare centres and schools were closed and children commenced home schooling. Strict social isolation measures meant that children were cut off from their friends. Research has shown that these drastic measures had a deleterious effect on children and adolescents’ mental health (Zhou et al., 2020; Bruining et al., 2020). However, some argue that the consequences of COVID-19 might not be all negative and in fact, some children and families have fared better during COVID-19 than before. It is therefore important to explore more broadly, how children and families have reacted and responded to the changed everyday life under COVID-19.

The aim of the present study is to explore how children have coped with the new everyday life under COVID-19. Rather than focusing on symptoms of anxiety and depression (as most other research has), we focus more broadly on children’s reactions. Specifically, we examine how children compare their emotional reactions, somatic/cognitive reactions and worry reactions to before COVID-19. We also investigate if children’s reactions are related to screentime, missing their friends, worries about being infected with COVID-19, coping with home schooling and perceived stress/instability in the family.

The data for this study were drawn from the Norwegian Family Dynamics Study (FamilieForSK), a longitudinal study aimed at increasing knowledge about family dynamics and conflicts in Norwegian families. The sample comprised 511 children (55% female) with an average age of 11.52 years (SD = 2.62). Older children (8 – 18 years) completed an online survey, while trained research assistants interviewed younger children (7 – 11years) via video link. Children’s reactions were measured with 10 questions (e.g., After the schools closed in March I have…: “… felt sad”, “… had trouble sleeping at night”, “… worried about my parents”). An initial PCA indicated three subscales for emotional reactions, somatic/cognitive reactions and worry reactions, respectively. Scales had satisfactory internal reliability.

Results show that when comparing with before schools were closed; children reported significantly lower levels of emotional reactions, but significantly higher levels of somatic/cognitive reactions. There was no difference for worry reactions. Further, children’s perception of stress/instability in the family was significantly and positively associated with all reactions, while children’s perception of how they had handled/coped with home schooling was significantly and negatively associated with children’s emotional and somatic/cognitive reactions. Worries about being infected with COVID-19 was significantly and positively associated with children’s emotional and worry reactions, respectively. Taken together, these findings suggest that the children in our study coped better in some regards and worse in others. The findings also highlight how help in coping with home schooling may buffer children against negative reactions in the face of a crisis-situation like COVID-19.

Authors

• Linda Larsen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  Presenting Author

• Tonje Holt, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maren Sand Helland, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  Non-Presenting Author