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A year after the coronavirus pandemic closed schools across the country, a CDC investigation released Thursday shows distance learning has taken a toll on the mental and physical health of parents and children.
The survey of 1,290 parents found that 45.7% of children took distance learning only, 30.9% went to school to receive in-person lessons, and 23.4% received a mixture of of them.
Parents of children who practically learned reported worse outcomes for their children on 11 of 17 stress and well-being indicators compared to children who attended school for in-person lessons.
“Parents of children receiving virtual instructions were more likely than parents of children receiving in-person instructions to report that their children experienced a decrease in physical activity (62.9% vs. 30.3%), time spent outdoors (58.0% vs. 27.4%), in person time with friends (86.2% vs. 69.5%), virtual time with friends (24.3% vs. 12 , 6%) and deterioration of mental or emotional health (24.9% vs. 15.9%), ”the authors wrote.
GLOBAL INCREASE IN CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AMID PANDEMIC
Children who received a combined education also performed worse with the same measures, but to a lesser extent.
Parents of children who learned remotely also struggled, as they were more likely to report job loss, emotional distress, difficulty sleeping, and worse outcomes on other issues.
The survey was conducted from October 8 to November 13, but was released Thursday as part of the CDC’s Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report.
“The results suggest that virtual education may pose more risk than in-person education related to the mental and emotional health of children and parents and certain health-promoting behaviors,” the CDC authors wrote.
FILE – In this August 26, 2020 file photo, a Los Angeles Unified School District student attends an online class at Boys & amp; Hollywood Girls Club in Los Angeles. Students in the country’s second-largest school district could return to class next month under a tentative deal announced Tuesday, March 9, 2021 with the teachers’ union. (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, file)
CDC WALENSKY RELIED ON REMOTE SCHOOL ORIENTATION: “ YOU MUST DO IT NOW ”
Dr David Greenhorn, who works in a hospital emergency room in the UK, told The Associated Press that the increase in child suicide is an “international epidemic” that “we do not recognize”.
“In the life of an 8-year-old, one year is really, really, a very long time,” he told AP earlier this month. “They are fed up. They can’t see the end.”
Young adults were also injured by the lockdowns. A CDC study last summer found that 25.5% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 had “seriously considered” suicide in the past 30 days.
President Joe Biden has pledged to open most elementary and middle schools by the end of his first 100 days in office.
The recently enacted $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief allocated $ 122 billion to K-12 schools across the country to accelerate this process.
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CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday the agency would release updated guidelines “soon” on plans to reopen schools that could include shortening the recommended social distancing from six feet to three feet.
“I, too, am concerned about the mental health of our children and we are working very hard to open our schools,” Dr. Walensky told Congress on Wednesday.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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