Impact of School and Peer Connectedness on Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Panel Survey

Emily Widnall; Lizzy Winstone; Ruth Plackett; Emma A Adams; Claire M A Haworth; Becky Mars; Judi Kidger

doi:10.3390/ijerph19116768

Impact of School and Peer Connectedness on Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Panel Survey

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 1;19(11):6768. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116768.

Authors

Emily Widnall¹, Lizzy Winstone¹, Ruth Plackett², Emma A Adams³, Claire M A Haworth⁴, Becky Mars¹, Judi Kidger¹

Affiliations

¹ Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
² Division of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK.
³ Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 4ES, UK.
⁴ School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK.

Abstract

School closures and social distancing measures during the pandemic have disrupted young people's daily routines and social relationships. We explored patterns of change in adolescent mental health and tested the relationship between pre-pandemic levels of school and peer connectedness and changes in mental health and well-being between the first lockdown and the return to school. This is a secondary analysis of a longitudinal 3-wave panel survey. The study sample included 603 students (aged 13-14) in 17 secondary schools across south-west England. Students completed a survey pre-pandemic (October 2019), during lockdown (May 2020) and shortly after returning to school (October 2020). Multilevel models, with random effects, were conducted for anxiety, depression and well-being outcomes with school and peer connectedness as predictor variables. Symptoms of anxiety decreased from pre-pandemic to during the first UK lockdown and increased on the return to school; anxious symptoms decreased the most for students reporting feeling least connected to school pre-pandemic. Students reporting low levels of school and peer connectedness pre-pandemic experienced poorer mental health and well-being at all time points. Low school connectedness pre-pandemic was associated with a greater increase in anxious and depressive symptoms between lockdown and the return to school when compared to students with medium levels of school connectedness. No associations were found with high school connectedness or with low/high peer connectedness. For adolescents with poor school connectedness, the enforced time away from school that the pandemic caused led to reduced anxiety. Going forwards, we need to consider ways in which to promote connection with school as a way of supporting mental health and well-being.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescents; lockdown; mental health; school; social connectedness; well-being.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Communicable Disease Control
Humans
Mental Health*
Pandemics
Schools

Grants and funding

This research study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR) (Project ID: 604402). E.A.A. is supported by the NIHR SPHR Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Grant Reference Number PD-SPH-2015. C.M.A.H is supported by a Philip Leverhulme Prize. B.M. is supported by a Medical Research Foundation Fellowship (MRF-058-0017-F-MARS-C0869 and MRF-058-0017-F-MARS-C0869s1). The views and opinions expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funding body played no role in the design, collection, analysis, interpretation or writing of the manuscript.