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The Impact of COVID-19 on Well-Being: Welsh Children's Perspectives
Jennifer Hampton1, Colette McAuley2
1Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered children's lives in Wales, impacting family relationships and school satisfaction. Older children reported more negative experiences, especially concerning education, highlighting exacerbated inequalities.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Sociology
- Educational Research
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated widespread government restrictions, including school closures and limitations on social interaction.
- These measures profoundly affected children's daily lives, circumstances, and overall well-being.
- The International Society of Child Indicators developed the Children's Worlds: COVID-19 Supplement to assess these impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions on children in Wales.
- To analyze changes in children's circumstances, well-being, and relationships during the pandemic.
- To examine disparities in experiences and satisfaction levels between different age groups of schoolchildren.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 727 children from years 6 and 8 across 18 schools in Wales in 2021.
- The anonymous survey collected data on children's circumstances, well-being, and perceived changes during the pandemic.
- Data analysis focused on comparing responses between younger (Year 6) and older (Year 8) children.
Main Results:
- Children experienced significant life changes, including school closures, home confinement, and reduced contact with extended family and friends.
- Nearly half of participants felt relationships with their cohabiting family members improved, with many reporting becoming closer.
- Older children (Year 8) reported less positive experiences overall, particularly regarding dissatisfaction with school learning content, widening the disparity in school satisfaction compared to younger children.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions led to substantial changes in children's lives, with varied impacts on family and peer relationships.
- A notable disparity emerged in school satisfaction, with older students expressing greater dissatisfaction.
- The findings suggest that the pandemic exacerbated existing educational inequalities among schoolchildren in Wales, mirroring trends observed globally.
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic saw drastic and unprecedented actions by governments to mitigate the spread of the virus. Often, the restrictions limited in-person interaction and included the closure of schools. To investigate the impact of both the pandemic and resulting restrictions, the International Society of Child Indicators developed the Childrens Worlds: COVID-19 Supplement. This paper reports on the results of that survey in Wales in 2021. Seven hundred and twenty seven children from 18 schools participated from years 6 and 8. They received an anonymous survey asking about their circumstances and well-being across a range of domains, and how these have changes during the pandemic. The children had experienced significant changes in their lives with the onset of the pandemic. The majority could not attend school, were confined to their homes, and were unable to see wider family and friends in person. Almost a half of both groups felt that their relationships with family they lived with had improved, with many becoming closer to members. Over one-fifth of both groups thought their relationships with friends were affected, with younger children more likely to think they had improved. The pattern throughout the survey was that the older children were less positive in their responses. The disparity between the groups was markedly so regarding school with the secondary schoolchildren being particularly dissatisfied with the content of their learning. Whereas there was a trend for less disparity between the groups during COVID-19, the only area where the disparity increased was regarding satisfaction with school. These findings are then placed in the context of developments in education in Wales and research on the impact of COVID on Welsh schools and schoolchildren. As in other countries, the pandemic would appear to have exacerbated existing educational inequalities.
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