School reopenings during Covid linked to improved child mental health
How opening schools during Covid pandemic improved child mental health
- A Harvard study found that reopening schools during the Covid pandemic significantly improved children's mental health.
- Researchers analysed health data from over 185,000 California schoolchildren, comparing mental health before and after school reopenings.
- Nine months after schools reopened, the likelihood of a child being diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, plummeted by 43 per cent.
- The study also noted a decrease in mental health-related healthcare spending and found that the benefits were particularly evident among girls.
- While underscoring the crucial role of in-person schooling, the researchers acknowledged limitations, including the study's focus on higher-income, privately insured children.