Unseen Struggles: Assessing the impact of long COVID on students and the need for educational support in schools

IF 2.4 2区社会学 Q1 FAMILY STUDIES

Children and Youth Services Review Pub Date : 2025-04-16 DOI:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108288

Lisha Veerakumar , Sanandhana Vetrivelan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

Long COVID, the long-lasting effects of COVID infection, has emerged as a global concern, especially among school-aged children. While its prevalence has been studied, it is critical to explore which long COVID symptoms impact children’s performance and to assess the role of school-based interventions and accommodations for these students. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence and role of long COVID symptoms among school children, assess the necessity of school-based support and services, and identify the symptoms that prompt children to request such support. The study also seeks to raise awareness among parents and school authorities about the challenges faced by children with long COVID, thus addressing a gap in the existing literature.

Method

A questionnaire to study long COVID was developed following a literature review. A convenient sampling approach was employed to conduct a cross-sectional survey among 82 community school children in a U.S. school district with a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection history.

Results

Among the 82 children surveyed, 28% reported experiencing one symptom, 22% reported multiple symptoms, and 4% experienced up to four symptoms potentially linked to long COVID. 32% of affected students required school support. The most commonly reported symptoms were trouble sleeping, anxiety, and tiredness. These symptoms statistically correlated with students’ reported need for school support.

Conclusions

More than half of the students surveyed reported having long COVID symptoms, ranging from one to four symptoms, highlighting the need for school support. The strong correlation between these symptoms and the necessity for school support underscores the necessity of increasing awareness among school authorities about the challenges faced by students due to long COVID. The findings can be used to adopt a flexible approach to support these students effectively.

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看不见的挣扎：评估长期COVID对学生的影响以及学校对教育支持的需求

COVID - 19感染的长期影响已成为全球关注的问题，特别是在学龄儿童中。虽然对其流行率进行了研究，但关键是要探索哪些长期的COVID症状会影响儿童的表现，并评估基于学校的干预措施和为这些学生提供的便利。因此，本研究旨在确定学龄儿童长冠状病毒症状的患病率及其作用，评估校本支持和服务的必要性，并确定促使儿童要求此类支持的症状。该研究还旨在提高家长和学校当局对长COVID儿童面临的挑战的认识，从而弥补现有文献中的空白。方法在查阅文献的基础上，编制调查问卷，对长期COVID进行研究。采用方便的抽样方法，对美国某学区82名有SARS-CoV-2感染史的社区学校儿童进行了横断面调查。在接受调查的82名儿童中，28%的人报告出现了一种症状，22%的人报告了多种症状，4%的人出现了多达四种可能与长期COVID相关的症状。32%的受影响学生需要学校的支持。最常见的症状是睡眠困难、焦虑和疲劳。这些症状在统计上与学生报告的学校支持需求相关。超过一半的受访学生报告出现了较长的COVID症状，从一到四种症状不等，这突出了对学校支持的需求。这些症状与学校支持的必要性之间存在很强的相关性，这突显了学校当局有必要提高对学生因长期COVID而面临的挑战的认识。研究结果可用于采取灵活的方法来有效地支持这些学生。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Children and Youth Services Review Multiple-

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

6.10%

发文量

303

期刊介绍： Children and Youth Services Review is an interdisciplinary forum for critical scholarship regarding service programs for children and youth. The journal will publish full-length articles, current research and policy notes, and book reviews.