Challenges faced by school going children during school closure and reopening in Covid times

Abstract

Background Covid-19 brought a diverse array of challenges for families, communities and people from all walks of life around the globe. Of these, school going children faced a number of issues. Numerous insights continue to be offered by the research community targeting the mental health challenges presented by school children as a result of school closure and reopening process. The focus of this study are the unexplored areas that will have an impact going forward on this generation of children after the reopening of schools and following a disruption in school-going norms as well as prolonged school closure.
Objective: The current study aims to explore the issues related to school closure and school re opening during covid-19 of school going children. The objective of this study is to identify the psychological, social and economic issues that accompany children attending school as they continue academic pursuits.
Method: Qualitative method of phenomenological research was used. A semi-structured interview and thought bubble technique was used to collect data. 16 participants (8 boys and 8 girls) from grades 8 to 10 were selected from public schools in Lahore.
Results: Findings from the current study show that children are substantially influenced by school closure and reopening the covid-19 pandemic. Uncertainty around new found routines or lack thereof left a psychological, academic, social and economic impact.
Conclusion: The process of school closure and reopening is reported to have a negative impact on the mental health of school going children. Owing to the expectation of snowballing effects, and possible long term mental health consequences, there is a need to address issues highlighted in this study. We suggest intervening using strategies that focus on supporting mental health rehabilitation after trauma, use of psychological health support sessions (i.e. in a group setting), psychological first aid and specialized services for those at higher risk based on individual case by case assessment.