Page 9 - NAESP Principal - Nov/Dec 2021

Pandemic Affecting Students’

Mental Health, Parents Say

In a McKinsey survey of more than increase in depression. They also reported increases in behaviors such as
16,000 U.S. parents with school- social withdrawal, self-isolation, lethargy, and irrational fears.
aged children, 35 percent said Students didn’t just miss out on learning during the pandemic, the survey
they were “very” or “extremely” says. Some lost family members, some witnessed their caregivers lose jobs
concerned about their child’s mental and income, and most experienced increased social isolation. If unaddressed,
health. About 80 percent of parents such mental health challenges can influence children’s learning, attendance,
reported some level of concern and ability to complete schoolwork.
about their child’s mental health “Broader student well-being is not independent of academics,” the report
or social and emotional health and says. “Parents whose children have fallen significantly behind academically
development since the pandemic are one-third more likely to say that they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned
began, with concerns about mental about their children’s mental health. Black and Hispanic parents are seven to
health slightly lower among parents nine percentage points more likely than white parents to report higher levels
of early elementary school students. of concern.”
Parents reported increases in clin- Visit mck.co/3CspfCJ to read more.
ical mental health conditions among
their children, with a 5 percent
increase in anxiety and a 6 percent

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