More than half of Portuguese children were frequently unhappy in 2022, reveals a new WHO/Europe Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in collaboration with Aventura Social.
On 11 March 2020, several measures were implemented to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, including the closure of educational institutions and lockdowns. As a result, many school-aged children had to switch to online learning between March and August 2020 and from January to February 2021.
Prevention and intervention measures continued upon their return to school. These included the use of certified face masks, maintaining physical distance, defined directions of movement in school buildings, conducting COVID-19 tests and adhering to vaccination plans. In cases of a positive test result, children were asked to isolate at home for 7–10 days. While some children were resilient and thrived in this new reality, others experienced declining mental health and well-being.
Adolescents’ experiences during the COVID-19 crisis
“By actively engaging and partnering with adolescents in our research endeavours, we can gain invaluable insights into the issues that directly impact their well-being,” says Cátia Branquinho from the HBSC Portugal team. “Their perspectives can play a pivotal role in shaping interventions and strategies to improve their mental health and overall quality of life.”
Recognizing the importance of working in partnership with young people and involving them in discussions about issues that directly affect them, the team interviewed some adolescents and asked them about their experiences and mental health during the pandemic.
Joana, now 13, explained how unmotivated she felt at home: “COVID-19 caused me some problems: lack of attention, stress and poor concentration. I didn’t feel like doing anything, I just wanted to sleep, eat and do other basic everyday things”.
Mariana, also 13, explained how social distancing affected her mental health: “I caught COVID-19 twice and was locked up at home 4 times, unable to go out. I didn’t get very sick, but my mother did, and the feeling of looking at her and being afraid of losing her killed my hope. That feeling of living in the same house and not being able to see each other, wearing a mask inside your own home, being in constant pain, and only being able to see my grandparents on the other side of the window changed me”.
Lara, a 12-year-old, explained how she is slowly regaining her confidence: “I feel so unmotivated with everything that happened that I don’t even feel like doing what I used to do anymore. I stopped talking to many friends, but have started interacting with people again after leaving confinement, and feel more confident”.
Adolescents’ mental health under pressure
“Children are increasingly experiencing feelings of being unable to cope due to unhappiness,” explains Tania Gaspar, Principal Investigator for HBSC in Portugal.
According to the team, 72,3% of children reported feeling a little happy, and 27.7% were unhappy. “This data indicates a decline in mental health compared to data from the previous 2 studies in 2014 and 2018,” Tania says. Over the years, more children are also reporting feeling so unhappy that they are struggling to cope.
The study found an increase in self-injurious behaviours, and more children thought of themselves as overweight, which had a negative impact on their health and body perceptions.
“In the face of new challenges, we’re committed to continuously improving the mental health and well-being of these school-aged children,” adds Margarida Gaspar de Matos, Deputy Principal Investigator for HBSC in Portugal.
The Aventura Social team is actively supporting the creation and upkeep of an “Observatory of Psychological Health and Well-Being: Monitoring and Action” in Portuguese schools under Portugal’s Directorate-General for Statistics of Education and Science. This initiative aims to collect and monitor psychological health and well-being indicators in Portuguese schools, with a view to designing differentiated intervention proposals, according to the identified needs, by age groups and geographic regions.
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On 20.06.2023 the text of the article was updated to reflect the actual figures of 72.3% and 27.7% instead of respective 53.1% and 18% incorrectly mentioned in the initial text.