Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Rebecca Schindler
Second Advisor
Angela
Abstract
This research project examines the mental health impact of Covid-19 on children in primary school. When I first began this research project, there were not many reports on children’s mental health in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. There were already published studies about adult mental health, college students, and even teenagers, but not much about school-aged children. That is what prompted this study. Since I have begun my research, there have been a few more reports published, including some by the US Department of Education, that have drawn more attention to the current lack of sources available for younger children. This project aims to investigate the current mental health of children in the Greencastle, Indiana area by surveying teachers, interviewing non-profit counselors, and providing recommendations as given by professionals.
Through this research process, I have collected data from ten Greencastle school primary educators, resulting in findings of increased anxiety, restlessness, as well as diminished attention span, and difficulty meeting learning goals. This holds implications for the current growing generation in the coming years as it can be comparable to the collective trauma of gun violence Generation Z witnessed. The main goal of this study was to raise awareness and shed light on current mental health problems existing in our small community.
Recommended Citation
Lenger, Katherine '22, "The Decline of Mental Health: Pandemic Effects in School-Aged Children Katherine Lenger DePauw University Honor Scholar Program Class of 2022 Rebecca Schindler," (2022). Honor Scholar Theses. 199, Scholarly and Creative Work from DePauw University.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/studentresearch/199
