TY - JOUR
T1 - Life and Stress of Japanese Children and Adolescents During the Prolonged Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
AU - Okuyama, Junko
AU - Seto, Shuji
AU - Fukuda, Yu
AU - Ito, Kiyoshi
AU - Imamura, Fumihiko
AU - Funakoshi, Shunichi
AU - Izumi, Shin Ichi
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP22K15780). We would like to thank the web monitors of What Ever Partners, Inc. for their cooperation in the survey.
Publisher Copyright:
© Fuji Technology Press Ltd.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This study surveyed adult web monitor enrollees about the lives of and stress experienced by Japanese children and adolescents during the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The survey was conducted on February 10, 2022 (after the sixth wave) and August 19, 2022 (during the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan), with 231 and 217 survey participants, respectively. The questionnaire was designed so that adults could assess the frequency of exercise, and difficulties experienced by children and adolescents around them. Regarding exercise opportunities, 22% of parents of middle and high school children reported that children’s exercise opportunities “stayed the same” or “increased considerably” in the first survey. Whereas, in the second survey, all parents of middle and high school children reported that children’s exercise opportunities “decreased.” Regarding stress, 17% of parents of adolescents 18 years and older responded that the stress experienced was the “same as before” or “a little less than before” in the first survey, but all of these parents responded “quite a bit” to the same question in the second survey. The findings suggest that the life changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have a significant impact on children and adolescents and may increase stress. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents should be further investigated.
AB - This study surveyed adult web monitor enrollees about the lives of and stress experienced by Japanese children and adolescents during the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The survey was conducted on February 10, 2022 (after the sixth wave) and August 19, 2022 (during the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan), with 231 and 217 survey participants, respectively. The questionnaire was designed so that adults could assess the frequency of exercise, and difficulties experienced by children and adolescents around them. Regarding exercise opportunities, 22% of parents of middle and high school children reported that children’s exercise opportunities “stayed the same” or “increased considerably” in the first survey. Whereas, in the second survey, all parents of middle and high school children reported that children’s exercise opportunities “decreased.” Regarding stress, 17% of parents of adolescents 18 years and older responded that the stress experienced was the “same as before” or “a little less than before” in the first survey, but all of these parents responded “quite a bit” to the same question in the second survey. The findings suggest that the life changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have a significant impact on children and adolescents and may increase stress. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents should be further investigated.
KW - children and adolescents
KW - exercise
KW - prolonged COVID-19 pandemic
KW - stress
KW - web survey
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146845481&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85146845481&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.20965/jdr.2023.p0048
DO - 10.20965/jdr.2023.p0048
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85146845481
SN - 1881-2473
VL - 18
SP - 48
EP - 56
JO - Journal of Disaster Research
JF - Journal of Disaster Research
IS - 1
ER -