Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May;91(5):356-369.
doi: 10.1111/josh.13007.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Students From 2 Semi-Rural High Schools in Georgia

Julie Gazmararian  1 , Rachel Weingart  2 , Katherine Campbell  3 , Thomas Cronin  4 , Jasleen Ashta  5
Affiliations

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Students From 2 Semi-Rural High Schools in Georgia

Julie Gazmararian et al. J Sch Health. 2021 May.

Abstract

Background: Concerns have been raised about the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents during an important developmental and social period in their lives. This study examines the mental health impact of the pandemic on high school students shortly after closure of public schools in spring 2020, and whether this impact varies by sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and grade level.

Methods: A cross-sectional, one-time online survey was completed by racial/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse students in 9th through 12th grade at 2 semi-rural Georgia public high schools (N = 761).

Results: Overall, almost one-fourth of high school students were extremely or very worried about the pandemic, with higher rates of worry among students who are racial/ethnic minorities, lower SES, female and in older grades. Results indicated a concerning impact on the stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness that students are feeling, particularly among girls and those in older grades. Students of color and low SES, who are already disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, are also more likely to experience mental health challenges.

Conclusions: Findings highlight important demographic differences of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of high school students and have implications for schools with addressing these needs.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescents; coronavirus; health disparities; mental health; stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Mental health and coping during COVID‐19. Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2020. Available at: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019‐ncov/daily‐life‐coping/managing‐stress‐anxi.... Accessed January 27, 2021.
    1. The Associated Press‐NORC Center for Public Affairs Research . Worries about the coronavirus increase. 2020. Available at: https://www.norc.org/NewsEventsPublications/PressReleases/Pages/worries‐.... Accessed January 27, 2021.
    1. World Health Organization (WHO) . Novel Coronavirus (2019‐NCoV) situation report ‐ 13. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2020. Available at: https://www.who.int/docs/default‐source/coronaviruse/situation‐reports/2.... Accessed January 27, 2021.
    1. Duan L, Shao X, Wang Y, et al. An investigation of mental health status of children and adolescents in China during the outbreak of COVID‐19. J Affect Disord. 2020;275:112‐118. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhang L, Zhang D, Fang J, Wan Y, Tao F, Sun Y. Assessment of mental health of Chinese primary school students before and after school closing and opening during the COVID‐19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2021482. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources