3 out of 10 Elementary Students Feel More Depressed and Anxious Than Before COVID-19

Ministry of Education Announces Student Mental Health Survey Results
43.2% of Students Say "Academic Stress Increased After COVID-19"
73.8% of Students Say "Internet and Smartphone Usage Time Increased"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19, it was found that 3 out of 10 elementary school students feel more depressed or anxious. The percentage of elementary, middle, and high school students who reported increased academic stress reached 43%.

On the 13th, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Education Environment Protection Agency announced the results of a survey conducted from February 11 to 18 targeting 341,412 elementary, middle, and high school students to understand the impact of prolonged COVID-19 on students' mental health due to disruptions in in-person classes and reduced external activities. For lower-grade elementary students, parents responded on their behalf.

Among the respondents, 27.0% (56,748 students) of elementary school students answered that they felt more depressed compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak. The percentage of elementary students who reported increased anxiety was 26.3% (55,373 students).

The proportion of students who reported feeling depressed for 7 or more days in the past two weeks (moderate or higher) was 14.7% (7,541 students) for high school students and 10.6% (8,474 students) for middle school students. The percentage of high school students who reported feeling anxious for 7 or more days in the past two weeks was 8.5% (4,338 students), and for middle school students, it was 6.0% (4,814 students).

Ministry of Education Student Health Survey 'Experiences of Depression and Anxiety Among Elementary, Middle, and High School Students'

Ministry of Education Student Health Survey 'Changes in Academic Stress After COVID-19'

A total of 43.2% of elementary, middle, and high school students reported increased academic stress, while 52.3% said there was no change. By school level, the group with the highest percentage reporting increased academic stress was lower-grade elementary students (44.5%), followed by upper-grade elementary students (43.9%), high school students (43.7%), and middle school students (39.8%).

About 3 out of 10 students (31.5%) reported that their relationships with friends worsened. The most common response was that there was no change (64.4%). By school level, the percentage of students who said their relationships with friends worsened was highest among lower-grade elementary students (43.2%), followed by upper-grade elementary students (33.4%), middle school students (17.6%), and high school students (14.2%).

Two out of ten students felt that their relationship with teachers had become more distant. The percentage of students who said their relationship with teachers did not change was 77.1%, while 20.3% said it had become more distant. The percentage reporting a more distant relationship with teachers was highest among lower-grade elementary students (26.0%), followed by upper-grade elementary students (25.1%), high school students (12.7%), and middle school students (10.6%).

73.8% of students reported increased internet and smartphone usage time. The lower the grade, the higher the percentage reporting increased usage time: lower-grade elementary students (83.5%), upper-grade elementary students (78.8%), middle school students (62.1%), and high school students (56.9%).

17.6% of students answered that there was 'no one' to help them when psychological or emotional problems arose. Family was the most common source of help (67.9%), followed by friends (26.7%) and teachers (10.6%).

Mental health experts advised that, based on these survey results, individualized physical activity and resilience enhancement programs should be provided, along with differentiated psychological support programs tailored to experiences related to COVID-19. They also suggested the need for systematic support by identifying students at mental health risk.

The Ministry of Education plans to revise the 'School Emergency Psychological Support Guidelines (Manual)' by the second half of this year and to establish a specialized institution to promote national student health policies.

To strengthen psychological support for students, the ministry will enhance education on depression, anxiety, and respect for life (6 sessions) within the curriculum and distribute 40 types of psychological and emotional support programs at the school and class levels. Support will also be provided for psychological counseling and physical activity activation related to COVID-19 diagnosis.

For students at mental health risk, a 24-hour text counseling service called 'Dadeureojulgae' is operated, and treatment costs will be supported up to 3 million KRW in cooperation with specialized institutions. The student emotional and behavioral characteristic assessment tool will be revised to reflect psychological and emotional changes due to COVID-19, with testing planned to begin in 2025.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "We were able to confirm that the prolonged COVID-19 situation has negatively affected our students' psychological and emotional well-being. While psychological and emotional support has been primarily focused on treating high-risk students, we will further specify plans to significantly strengthen tailored support for general students in consultation with education offices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.