Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Centre for Rural Health School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
PLoS One. 2023 Aug 10;18(8):e0288501. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288501. eCollection 2023.
The Covid-19 pandemic and resultant disruptions to schooling presented significant challenges for many families. Well organised families have been shown to have a protective effect on adolescent wellbeing in periods of shock. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Asenze, a population-based cohort study, was conducting a third wave of data collection in peri-urban South Africa, examining risk and protective factors during adolescence. By March 2020, n = 272 adolescents and their caregivers (n = 241) in the cohort had been assessed when in-person data collection was halted by lockdown measures countrywide. During this cessation we undertook a brief telephonic qualitative sub-study to explore whether families enrolled in the cohort were able to cohabit cohesively and undertake distance learning during lockdown. A purposeful sample of 20 families (caregivers n = 20, adolescents n = 24) recently assessed in the Wave 3 of the main study, participated in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data from Waves 1-3 of the main study was used to measure family function, adolescent cognitive function, and profile adolescent and caregivers. The quantitative and qualitative data were integrated to illustrate the dynamics of the participants' lives before and during lockdown. We found that families classified as well-organized before lockdown, were more likely to report co-operation during lockdown. Adolescents who were self-motivated, had access to smartphones or the internet, and were supported by both family and educators, were well-placed to continue their education without much disruption. However, few schools instituted distance learning. Of the adolescents who were not assisted- some studied on their own or with peers, but others did no schoolwork, hindered by a lack of digital connectivity, and poor service delivery. The experience of adolescence and caregivers in the Asenze Cohort during lockdown highlight the importance of family functioning for adolescent wellbeing in crisis, as well as the need for access to health, mental health, and social services, communication upgrades, and enhancements to the education system during peaceful times, to make a difference to young lives in times of crisis.
新冠疫情和由此导致的学校教育中断给许多家庭带来了巨大挑战。组织良好的家庭在冲击时期对青少年的幸福感有保护作用。在新冠疫情爆发之初，Asenze 是一项基于人群的队列研究，正在南非城乡结合部进行第三波数据收集，研究青少年时期的风险和保护因素。到 2020 年 3 月，当全国范围内的封锁措施停止了面对面的数据收集时，该队列中的 272 名青少年及其照顾者（n=241）已完成评估。在这一暂停期间，我们进行了一项简短的电话定性子研究，以探讨参加该队列的家庭是否能够在封锁期间和睦相处并进行远程学习。在第三次主要研究波中最近评估的 20 个家庭（照顾者 n=20，青少年 n=24）参与了半结构化访谈。主要研究第 1-3 波的定量数据用于衡量家庭功能、青少年认知功能以及青少年和照顾者的特征。将定量和定性数据整合起来，说明了参与者在封锁前后生活的动态。我们发现，在封锁前被归类为组织良好的家庭，在封锁期间更有可能进行合作。有动力、能够使用智能手机或互联网、并且得到家庭和教育工作者支持的青少年，在没有太多干扰的情况下继续接受教育的可能性更大。然而，很少有学校实施远程学习。在没有得到帮助的青少年中，有些是自己或与同龄人一起学习，但其他的则没有做作业，因为缺乏数字连接和服务提供方面的不足而受到阻碍。Asenze 队列中的青少年和照顾者在封锁期间的经历强调了家庭功能对危机时期青少年幸福感的重要性，以及在和平时期需要获得卫生、心理健康和社会服务、通信升级以及教育系统的增强，以便在危机时期对年轻人的生活产生影响。
