Children’s Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tali Raviv, PhD

Co-PI and Midwest Regional Site Co-Director

Recently published research article Caregiver Perceptions of Children’s Psychological Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic in JAMA Network Open by National Center for Safe Supportive Schools (NCS3) team member Tali Raviv, Ph.D. and colleagues at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University, and Chicago Public Schools found that “more than a quarter of children were described by their caregivers as anxious and stressed, more than a third were described as lonely, and fewer than one-third of caregivers reported that their child had positive peer relationships” after pandemic-related school closures and the switch to remote learning. Higher exposure to COVID-19 related stressors, such as having a family member who contracted COVID-19, having a caregiver who lost a job, or having difficulty getting health care, food, or PPE, was associated with a higher probability of experiencing worsening psychological well-being. In this study, Black, Latinx, and youth living in poorer households were most likely to experience these additional stressors.

“Greater public attention to youth mental health issues during this time can help appropriately allocate resources and inform policies to support the well-being of students as schools begin to reopen,” said Dr. Raviv. NCS3 is honored to partner with schools and districts to develop programs, resources, and interventions to equitably support their students and communities in healing.

Read more about this research in the Time magazine article How the Closure of In-School Learning Damaged U.S. Children's Mental Health During the Pandemic.