Naslov
Prevalence and Predictors of Anxiety among Elementary School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Autori
Žutić, Maja ; Kuljanac, Anđela

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
The 3rd International Scientific Conference "Coping with Crisis: Pathways towards Resilience" - book of abstracts / Pačić-Turk, Ljiljana ; Žutić, Maja - Zagreb : Odjel za psihologiju Hrvatskog katoličkog sveučilišta, 2021, 152-152

ISBN
978-953-8014-62-8

Skup
3. međunarodni znanstveno-stručni skup Odjela za psihologiju Hrvatskog katoličkog sveučilišta “Suočavanje s kriznim situacijama – putevi jačanja otpornosti”

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 03.12.2021. - 11.12.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
anxiety ; prevalence ; elementary school ; risk factors ; fear of COVID-19

Sažetak
Anxiety is among the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents, with an estimated prevalence of up to 20%. Impaired mental health in childhood or adolescence can have adverse effects on future physical and mental health and other aspects such as lower academic achievement, early school dropout, delinquent behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse. Given the changes and uncertainties that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that this pandemic had a considerably greater impact on the daily lives of children and adolescents than other epidemics. Empirical evidence shows a considerable increase in mental illnesses of children and adolescents since the pandemic outburst. Nevertheless, research is scarce, and studies rarely explored both risk and protective factors of children's mental health. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of anxiety, and risk and protective factors of anxiety in elementary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted in December 2020 in one elementary school in Zagreb. The sample comprised 166 students from fifth to eighth grade, 12 years old on average. Participants completed: the General Data Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Fear of Coronavirus Scale and two items regarding perceived life satisfaction and acceptance by classmates. The prevalence of severe to extremely severe anxiety was 31.3%, with significantly higher anxiety levels in girls than boys. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that significant predictors of anxiety were higher depression symptoms, lower resilience, higher fear of COVID- 19, and lower acceptance by classmates. Considering that 1 in 3 students in this sample had severe anxiety, this study provides helpful empirical guidelines for identifying at-risk students. Moreover, it highlights the need to invest in the mental health of children and urgently design tailored prevention programs to encourage a healthy growing up during a pandemic crisis.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA