Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
BMJ Open. 2023 Sep 19;13(9):e075756. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075756.
To explore the impact of Long Covid (LC) on the school experiences of children and young people (CYP).
Qualitative study using narrative interviews.
22 CYP (aged 10-18 years, 15 female) with LC and 15 parents/caregivers (13 female) of CYP (aged 5-18 years) with LC.
Interviews were conducted between October 2021 and July 2022 via online video call or telephone. Recruitment routes included social media, LC support groups, clinicians, community groups and snowballing.
Three key findings were identified. Finding 1: Going to school is a valued part of CYP's lives and participants viewed educational attainment as important for their future trajectories. Returning to school full time was highlighted as a key part of regaining 'normal life'. Finding 2: Attending school (in-person or online) with LC is extremely difficult; even a gradual return required CYP to balance the impact of being at and engaging with school, with the need to manage symptoms to prevent relapse. Often this meant prioritising school and rest over other aspects of their lives. Finding 3: School responses to CYP with LC were reported to be mixed and hampered by difficulties communicating with healthcare professionals during the pandemic and a lack of awareness of LC among healthcare and education professionals. Participants viewed supportive school responses as staff believing, understanding and taking them seriously, alongside schools offering tailored and flexible adaptations which allowed engagement with school while limiting any deterioration of symptoms.
This study describes how LC affects the school experiences of CYP and generates recommendations for supportive school responses alongside supportive healthcare professionals. Further research could explore the approaches that facilitate a successful return to school for CYP with LC and investigate education professionals' perspectives on support they require to positively engage with returning pupils.
探索长新冠（LC）对儿童和青少年（CYP）学校经历的影响。
使用叙述性访谈的定性研究。
22 名患有 LC 的 CYP（年龄 10-18 岁，15 名女性）和 15 名患有 LC 的 CYP 的父母/照顾者（年龄 5-18 岁，13 名女性）。
访谈于 2021 年 10 月至 2022 年 7 月通过在线视频通话或电话进行。招募途径包括社交媒体、LC 支持小组、临床医生、社区团体和滚雪球。
确定了三个主要发现。发现 1：上学是 CYP 生活中的一个有价值的部分，参与者认为教育程度对他们未来的轨迹很重要。全职重返学校被强调为恢复“正常生活”的关键部分。发现 2：患有 LC 的 CYP 上学（面对面或在线）极其困难；即使是逐步返校，也要求 CYP 平衡在学校的影响和参与，同时需要管理症状以防止复发。通常，这意味着要优先考虑学校和休息，而不是他们生活的其他方面。发现 3：学校对患有 LC 的 CYP 的反应被报告为参差不齐，在大流行期间与医疗保健专业人员沟通困难以及医疗保健和教育专业人员对 LC 的认识不足，这阻碍了学校的反应。参与者认为支持性的学校反应是工作人员相信、理解并认真对待他们，以及学校提供量身定制和灵活的适应措施，允许他们在限制症状恶化的情况下参与学校。
本研究描述了 LC 如何影响 CYP 的学校经历，并为支持性的学校反应和支持性的医疗保健专业人员提出了建议。进一步的研究可以探索促进患有 LC 的 CYP 成功返校的方法，并调查教育专业人员对他们需要积极参与返校学生的支持的看法。
