Impact of COVID-19, pandemic, and full-scale war on the health of schoolchildren: survey results

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children not only faced health problems caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus but also dealt with its consequences, such as long COVID, as well as social isolation, tension, and fear. However, a full-scale war has become an even greater challenge for the children's bodies due to the direct threat to life, uncertainty, and chronic stress.

The aim of the study was to identify and compare the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the COVID-19 pandemic, and full-scale war on the health of schoolchildren, including their mental health, quality of life, as well as access to medical care, education, and leisure.

Materials and methods. We conducted an online survey of schoolchildren. Overall, 200 children aged 9 to 17 of Ternopil school participated in the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 38 questions. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the results. Differences between values were considered significant at p<0.05.

Results. Overall, 63.3% of children reported having experienced or possibly experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection. The majority of children (63%) who had COVID-19 contracted it during the first two waves of the pandemic (2020 and winter-spring 2021). Only 9.8% of respondents indicated hospitalization due to COVID-19. Half of the cases had a familial nature. Among children who had COVID-19, 41.3% reported having symptoms after the illness, which were often lasted up to 1 month. In 18.3% of respondents, the duration of symptoms met the criteria for long COVID. Common long COVID symptoms included fatigue, loss of smell and/or taste, sleep disturbances, decreased attention, and general weakness. One in five children noted the impact of the pandemic and full-scale war on access to medical care. The pandemic and war had the greatest impact on children's access to education (70.1% and 77.3% respectively) and leisure (59.5% and 64.5% respectively). Full-scale war significantly affected the mental health of children (70.6% vs. 33.3%, p<0.0001), their quality of life (59.4% vs. 34.2%, p<0.0001), and the sense of direct threat to life (62.1% vs. 29.9%, p<0.0001). During war, children twice as often indicated the need for psychological support than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 91.4% of children noted the greatest impact of full-scale war on their mental health.

Conclusions. COVID-19 and its consequences, the pandemic, and full-scale war significantly influenced the health, quality of life, and access to basic services for children and adolescents. The impact of the full-scale war on the mental health of children is significantly more substantial than the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the direct SARS-CoV-2 infection, even in a region distant from direct combat. These disruptions may have further implications for the physical health of children and the nation.

The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies.

No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.