Mental Health of Students During COVID-19
Mental health has surfaced as a huge concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one group that has been severely affected is students.
According to the National Council on Mental Wellbeing, “A majority of parents say there has been a change in their children’s mental wellbeing during the past year and a half due to remote learning (62%) and social isolation stemming from COVID-19 restrictions (59%).”
K-12 is a critical age range for learning as well as the development of social skills. But as we come up on two years of the pandemic, K-12 children have had a very different schooling experience than students of past years.
Psychology Today says that “Research clearly indicates that remote learning (or even a hybrid model) has significant negative effects on children and parents' mental, emotional, social, and physical health.”
But even when children have been able to attend school in-person and avoid a subpar remote learning experience, they have to live with the fear of catching COVID-19 from a classmate.
Our children are far too young to be dealing with this type of fear and isolation on a daily basis – and it is taking a real toll on their mental health.
So what can be done?
The National Council on Mental Wellbeing found that “three quarters (73%) of parents say school districts should increase mental health support for children because of the effects of social isolation from COVID-19.”
In mental health, the resources available are dwarfed in comparison to the needs of children growing up in today’s world. That needs to change.
But many mental health providers are experiencing severe workforce shortages, brought about by “The Great Resignation” and a lack of qualified candidates entering the field.
That means that providers need to find ways to be more efficient with their time.
They need to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative busywork – a huge problem in today’s healthcare system.
They also need to spend their patient time more efficiently – focusing on the patients that need help the most and checking in at the right times.
Technology can assist on both fronts.
Technology can enhance, expand, and extend the reach of therapists and counselors of school-age children.
It can also connect local community resources to regional ones, ensuring that students have access to all available resources to assist with their mental health and that all resources have access to each other to coordinate care.
As the digital health revolution continues, more and more the patients will see the benefits of technology-assisted care.
But as always, healthcare needs to be provided by real people. No digital health solution will replace the care that one human can provide for another.
That’s why it’s vital to get more people involved in a mental health patients’ circle of care.
Mental health is a group effort. That’s why it is so devastating that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it unsafe for people to come together.
For students, it could be parents, teachers, guidance counselors, case managers – but rarely should the circle of care end with just the patient and their provider.
It’s through togetherness that we will get through this pandemic.
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