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
. 2023 Oct 22;59(10):1876.
doi: 10.3390/medicina59101876.

Mental Health and Contraceptive Knowledge in High Schoolers: Comparing Remote and In-Person Learning during COVID-19

Denisa Hinoveanu  1   2 , Doru Mihai Anastasiu  1 , Cosmin Citu  1 , Doru Ciprian Crisan  1 , Zoran Laurentiu Popa  1 , Nicoleta Nicolae  1 , Catalin Dumitru  1 , Oana Neda-Stepan  2   3 , Roxana Manuela Fericean  2   4 , Lavinia Stelea  1
Affiliations

Mental Health and Contraceptive Knowledge in High Schoolers: Comparing Remote and In-Person Learning during COVID-19

Denisa Hinoveanu et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background and Objectives: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on education, this study delves into the behavioral, mental health, and sexual education characteristics of high school students during 2020-2021 and 2022-2023. Materials and Methods: We evaluated a variety of factors, including substance use, academic performance, sexual activities, mental health support, pandemic-related anxiety levels, and quality of life indicators using standardized instruments such as the SF-36, GAD-7, and WHOQOL-BREF. Furthermore, we addressed specific questions concerning contraception and sexual education during this period. Results: The questionnaires were filled in by 44 students in 2020-2021 and 41 students in 2022-2023. Significant findings included a noteworthy increase in COVID-19 vaccination rates, from 18.2% in 2020-2021 to 39.0% in 2022-2023 (p = 0.033), enhanced perceptions of mental health support during remote learning, from 7.1% to 20.0% (p = 0.044), and a rise in students partaking in reproductive health discussions from 10.7% to 25.0% (p = 0.046). Additionally, there was a marked decline in anxiety regarding the transition back to in-person learning (p = 0.048). Health surveys, such as the SF-36, signaled improvements in both physical and mental health over the years (p = 0.046 and p = 0.019, respectively), while the GAD-7 scores depicted a considerable reduction in anxiety symptoms (p = 0.038). The WHOQOL-BREF results also highlighted a significant uptick in students' mental well-being in 2022-2023 (p = 0.039). Conclusions: As the COVID-19 pandemic ended, high school students exhibited shifts in behavior, health, and education over four academic years, particularly in areas of contraceptive knowledge and mental health outcomes. The pronounced enhancements in vaccination rates, perceptions of mental health support, participation in health conversations, and overall mental wellness emphasize the adaptability and resilience of students in these tumultuous periods, and a general increase in contraceptive knowledge and quality of life during the end of the pandemic.

Keywords: anxiety; contraception; depression; online education; teenagers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Analysis of the SF-36 questionnaire results.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average values of domain scores on the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Fericean R.M., Rosca O., Citu C., Manolescu D., Bloanca V., Toma A.-O., Boeriu E., Dumitru C., Ravulapalli M., Barbos V., et al. COVID-19 Clinical Features and Outcomes in Elderly Patients during Six Pandemic Waves. J. Clin. Med. 2022;11:6803. doi: 10.3390/jcm11226803. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nicolescu L.-C., Popescu C.-L., Popescu C.-V., Nicolescu C.-M., Nesiu A., Stanciu A.N., Mihu A.G. The evaluation of vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor in the case of patients with moderate COVID-19. Farmacia. 2022;70:507–513. doi: 10.31925/farmacia.2022.3.17. - DOI
    1. Petrovici I., Ionica M., Neagoe O.C. Economic Crisis: A Factor for the Delayed Diagnosis of Breast Cancer. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18:3998. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18083998. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Toma A.-O., Prodan M., Reddyreddy A.R., Seclaman E., Crainiceanu Z., Bloanca V., Bratosin F., Dumitru C., Pilut C.N., Alambaram S., et al. The Epidemiology of Malignant Melanoma during the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2022;20:305. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010305. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rossi I.V., de Lima J.D., Sabatke B., Nunes M.A.F., Ramirez G.E., Ramirez M.I. Active learning tools improve the learning outcomes, scientific attitude, and critical thinking in higher education: Experiences in an online course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 2021;49:888–903. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21574. - DOI - PMC - PubMed