Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Related Behavioral Stressors of Students in Pennsylvania Schools

Abstract

COVID-19 has generated substantial stress on students’ mental health. This study collected primary and secondary data to compute a mental health stress index of youth mental stress levels and to examine the impact of the pandemic on youth behaviors. Using PAYS data from pre-pandemic (2017, 2019) and pandemic (2021) time periods, the study finds an increase in the percentage of students experiencing mental stress in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 in 2021, compared to the corresponding percentages from 2017 and 2019. The study finds that student mental health stress in rural counties is related to key socioeconomic and demographic indicators, such as, childhood poverty rates, unemployment, levels of education, lack of access to internet, the number of single-parent households, the number of households receiving SNAP and Supplemental Security Income, low infant birth weight, and lack of prenatal care. Altogether, students whose families were already more vulnerable socioeconomically, also experienced more notable negative mental health consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that academic performance has been affected negatively by students’ increased levels of mental health stress. While most empirical relationships are similar in urban counties, policy makers must consider the differential prevalence of factors, such as, limited access to internet and health care in rural areas, when designing solutions to address student needs.