Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Psychology for Development Research Centre, Lusíada University, Porto, Portugal.
Sci Rep. 2023 Sep 29;13(1):16376. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43497-w.
The closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescents' social withdrawal and social anxiety. Yet, self-esteem may have acted as a protective factor during this period. This study aimed to compare the trajectories of social withdrawal and social anxiety before (Year 1), during (Year 2 and 3), and after (Year 4) the closure of schools imposed by the COVID-19-related lockdowns, and to investigate the association of self-esteem with these trajectories. Participants were 844 (50.6% boys) Portuguese adolescents (mean age 12.70 years, SD = 1.14). The Social and Emotional Competencies Evaluation Questionnaire (QACSE) was used to assess social withdrawal and social anxiety, while The Global Self-Esteem scale of the Self-Description Questionnaire II was used to measure self-esteem. Growth curve analysis showed that social withdrawal and social anxiety had more negative trajectories during the year in which the school closures occurred. In addition, adolescents reported higher social withdrawal after the lockdowns than before the pandemic. Higher self-esteem was associated with a more positive trajectory in social withdrawal. Therefore, the results showed the negative of impact of the closure of schools on adolescents' social anxiety and social withdrawal, and that self-esteem was a protective factor during these challenging and adverse events.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，学校关闭影响了青少年的社交退缩和社交焦虑。然而，自尊可能在这期间起到了保护因素的作用。本研究旨在比较学校关闭期间（COVID-19 相关封锁期间的第 2 年和第 3 年）和之后（第 4 年），青少年社交退缩和社交焦虑的轨迹，并探讨自尊与这些轨迹的关系。参与者为 844 名（50.6%为男生）葡萄牙青少年（平均年龄为 12.70 岁，标准差=1.14）。使用社会和情感能力评估问卷（QACSE）评估社交退缩和社交焦虑，而使用自我描述问卷 II 的全球自尊量表评估自尊。增长曲线分析表明，在学校关闭的那一年，社交退缩和社交焦虑的轨迹更为负面。此外，青少年在封锁后报告的社交退缩程度高于大流行前。较高的自尊与社交退缩的更积极轨迹相关。因此，研究结果表明，学校关闭对青少年的社交焦虑和社交退缩产生了负面影响，而自尊是这些充满挑战和不利事件的保护因素。
