Swiss Corona Stress Study: survey in high school students, March 2021

The last survey of the Swiss Corona Stress Study in November 2020 has shown that the proportion of respondents with moderately severe to severe depressive symptoms was 18%, with the youngest group of 14-24 year olds being the most affected at 29%. Between 8 and 24 March 2021, an additional survey was conducted in the German speaking part of Northwestern Switzerland among 393 high school students with the majority being between 16 and 19 years old. The anonymous survey was completed by 97.5% of the students. The proportion of respondents with moderately severe to severe depressive symptoms was 27%. In this survey, additional questions were asked about school, social life and vaccination. The most significant stressor associated with depressive symptoms was perceived school pressure. 46% of the respondents indicated they were very or extremely stressed because of the pressure of school. Furthermore, the perception that school pressure has increased due to the pandemic (missed material due to closures, quarantine) was strongly correlated with depressive symptoms. Other factors included worries about poorer education or job opportunities and worries about damage to the social network. An additional factor analysis confirmed that stressors related to school build up the factor with the strongest correlation with depressive symptoms (with a large effect size).Other results- 69% of respondents would get vaccinated if the vaccine were available to them.- 41% of respondents would see the change to distance learning as a relief, 46% as a burden and 13% neither.- Only 4% of respondents said they were not at all afraid of infecting their parents/grandparents or another close person belonging to a risk group.- 29% of respondents have at least a moderate to severe fear of suffering from Long-COVID in case of infection.

EFEKTIVITAS PELATIHAN “PEDE” (PEMAAFAN, EFIKASI DIRI, DAN EMPATI) UNTUK MENINGKATKAN SCHOOL WELL-BEING SISWA

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of PEDE training (Forgiveness, Self-Efficacy, and Empathy) to increase school well-being of students. The experimental design of this study was pretest-posttest without control group design. Participants were 50 students from vocational high schools, 21 man and 29 woman. Data were collected using School Well-Being Scale (20 items; α = .81). Data were analyzed using paired sample t-test to determine the differences in the level of school well-being before and after treatment. The results of the analysis showed a significant increase in school well-being (t (49)= 3.904; p <.001) from pretest (M= 60.98; SD= 4.162) to posttest (M= 63.28; SD=4.291). PEDE training (Forgiveness, Self-Efficacy, and Empathy) is proven to increase school well-being of students. Forgiveness is needed by students in facing the weaknesses and pressures they feel at school, pressure can come from within themselves, other people and the environment. Student satisfaction is inseparable from empathy, where students are able to understand and relate to cognitive and affective experiences from the perspective of others. With the various pressures and challenges faced, students need the self-efficacy to be able to succeed in achieving each of their goals, so that they receive recognition and appreciation in the school environment.

Does Sleep Mediate the Association between School Pressure, Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Psychological Symptoms in Early Adolescents? A 12-Country Study.

This study examines the mediating role of sleep duration and sleep onset difficulties in the association of school pressure, physical activity, and screen time with psychological symptoms in early adolescents. Data were retrieved from 49,403 children (13.7 ± 1.6 years old, 48.1% boys) from 12 countries participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) “Health Behaviour in School-aged Children” 2013/2014 study. A validated self-report questionnaire assessed psychological symptoms (feeling low, irritability or bad temper, feeling nervous), school pressure, physical activity (number of days/week 60 min moderate-to-vigorous), screen time, sleep duration on week- and weekend days, and perceived difficulties in getting asleep. Multilevel mediation analyses were conducted. School pressure and screen time were positively associated with psychological symptoms, whereas physical activity was negatively associated. With the exception of sleep duration in the association between physical activity and psychological symptoms, all associations were significantly mediated by sleep duration on week- and weekend days and sleep onset difficulties. Percentages mediated ranged from 0.66% to 34.13%. This study partly explains how school pressure, physical activity, and screen time are related to adolescents’ psychological symptoms. Future interventions improving adolescents’ mental well-being could target schoolwork, physical activity, and screen time, as these behaviours are directly and indirectly (through sleep) related to psychological symptoms.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Children

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious neurological disorder. Using virtual reality (VR), researchers are exploring alternative solutions to treat ASD. Recent experiences show that VR can be a motivating platform to safely practice social and communication skills for children with ASD. It is also seen as an effective method to build empathy and help improve the general understanding of the condition. This study will focus on using and experimenting different 360-degree immersive learning environments for ASD and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pupils and their schoolmates. The chapter will report on a few ASD students who use VR facilities to communicate, learn, improve self-awareness, autobiographical memory, and reduce school pressure, and a few ADHD students who enjoy a VR environment to improve concentration and self-esteem. Both the ASD students and the ADHD ones decided, during the trial, to become VR creators building their own content, with the help of a facilitator.

School Physical Activity: Policy Matters

For children, schools play an important role in providing and promoting physical activity, yet growing school pressure to produce academic achievement gains have limited the priority of physical activity producing programs. The Institute of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Heart Association, and others have developed recommendations for school physical activity policy and there is growing interest in examining the relationship between existing school physical activity policies, school practices, and physical activity. Given that research on school physical activity policy is in its infancy, my goal in writing this paper is to introduce readers to key aspects of school physical activity policy while simultaneously outlining existing research efforts and highlighting the many critical research gaps that still exist. I conclude the paper by linking policy to advocacy and outlining considerations for formulating effective advocacy efforts while emphasizing the need for advocacy research.