Despite having marked his childhood and adolescence, the pandemic was considered over. Parents did not participate in the study.
Most of students from the 2nd cycle already “turned the page” on covid-19 and many feel that the life has changed little after the pandemic, according to a study released this Monday that shows improvements in well-being and psychological health.
After a first study carried out in 2022, the Observatory of Psychological Health and Wellbeing (OSPBE) looked again, two years later, at the situation of Portuguese students.
One of the conclusions of the released report is that the majority of the 6,112 children and adolescents assessed feel better: In two years, the number of students with “situations of some vulnerability” rose from a third to a quarter.
One of the aspects in which they improved is related to the covid-19 pandemic which, despite having marked his childhood and adolescence, it was considered outdated by the majority.
According to results from 3,083 students assessed from elementary to high school, about a quarter report that although life in general has changed for worse, already everything went back to normal.
On the other hand, 41.3% consider that life in general changed little with the pandemic.
“Students seem to have already turned the page on covid-19”, highlighted the study coordinator, Margarida Gaspar de Matos, in a session to present the report with journalists, in which she explained that the pandemic affected students differently depending on their age.
According to the conclusions, the younger tend to think more often than not that life got worse and have not yet recovered, while the older show a greater tendency to consider that the life has changed a little e, In some cases, it even improved.
There are also differences between boys e girls: they consider that covid-19 brought few changes for your life and they, regardless of whether they have already recovered, they say there have been changes, good or bad.
Among other aspects assessed, the report reveals that the majority of students from the 2nd cycle onwards are satisfied with life, but this satisfaction tends to to decrease throughout the age and is more prevalent among boys than girls.
The same trend is reflected when researchers look at psychological symptoms, in which more than a quarter of students report feeling irritated or in a bad mood (30.2%), nervous (32.2%) and having difficulty falling asleep (27.3%). There are still 21.2% of students who reported feeling sad.
In the case of symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety, they tend to worsen with age, although not as markedly as in the previous study, and are more frequently reported by girls.
As age increases, they also tend to to decrease the levels of optimism, emotional control, resilience, confidence, curiosity, sociability, persistence, creativity, energy, cooperation and self-control.
Among the 1,227 3rd and 4th year students assessed, more than 80% reported not have difficulties on a set of issues such as being happy, liking yourself, following rules, controlling your emotions, enjoying learning, trying new things, playing with friends from different cultures, knowing how to ask for help when needed, or finding solutions to problems.
The majority also did not mention weaknesses when asked, for example, if they felt good the previous week, had energy, had time for themselves, were good students or had fun with friends.
Among the little ones, from pre-school and 1st and 2nd years, the results show that boys have more problems behavior e hyperactivity, while the girls have better results in prosocial behavior.
The study also assessed the well-being of pais, teachers and other school workers, but, according to researcher Margarida Gaspar de Matos, the low adhesion did not allow significant conclusions to be drawn, with only 380 teachers, 53 psychologists, 118 operational, administrative and technical assistants, 94 teachers with management, management or coordination positions and 347 education guardians taking part.
