Remote Schooling During COVID-19 and Mental Soundness of Adolescents in Egypt

Background: The social isolation imposed by the pandemic of Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has a probable impact on the adolescents’mental milestones that are inextricably intertwined with socio-emotional experiences. The physical school attendance is not only for academic achievement but it offers a unique opportunity for an interactive peer relationship. Independency, resilience, self confidence, abstract thinking, problem solving are few examples of the countless moral gains of school attendance. This mental wellbeing is the first line of defense in stressful conditions against anxiety and depression. Aim: To disclose the imprint of school closure as a stressor exposing adolescents to anxiety and depression. Materials and methods: One hundred twenty six adolescents were enrolled in our study. Two validated Egyptian inventories were used to screen for anxiety and depression. Sixty three candidates (group1) were assessed before school closure in comparison to another sixty three of their matched peers (group2) after school closure. Results: The scores of the physical, emotional, physiological and social aspects of anxiety were significantly different between the two groups with P-values of 0.021, 0.007, 0.031 and 0.007 respectively. In the assessment of depression, two items (self esteem and concentration ability) were mostly affected after school closure with highly significant P values of 0.015 and 0.016 respectively. Conclusions: Several risk factors influence the mental health of adolescents among which the school closure is an important one.