REFLECTION OF THE PANDEMIC ON ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-Cov-2, appeared in China in December 2019 and spread rapidly throughout the world. Forcing countries to take various disease control and prevention measures. The most adopted was social distancing, with the consequent interruption of almost all activities, including classroom classes, which made the school reinvent the way of teaching distance. Objective: To identify, from the responses from the research form developed in Google Forms, aspects related to the behavior of adolescents, who feel emotionally affected during social isolation. Methodology: This is a descriptive, longitudinal exploratory study conducted from a questionnaire with thirty closed questions, where the anonymity of the practitioners will be maintained. The target audience was the students of the technical courses of administration and chemistry of a federal public institution in the city of São Gonçalo. The survey was released via the internet, through applications and social networks. The dimensions evaluated took into account: sociodemographic and emotional health factors. Result: It was verified that the pandemic and the sanitary measures adopted to control the contamination caused mental health problems in the students, because they have experienced negatively these measures and the closure of schools. In addition to favoring the occurrence of violence or aggressive behaviors in the domestic context, it led to depression, decrease in physical activities, and alteration in relationships. Conclusion: The results suggest that the pandemic situation can be considered a determinant that affects different social and emotional dimensions of adolescents