The association between COVID-19 and schoolwork pressure

Abstract

We have faced an unprecedented time during COVID-19. Measures have been taken to reduce the spread of the virus, including school closures and widespread lockdowns. Concerns regarding the growing number of students experiencing high schoolwork pressure (SWP) over the last years, have only increased during COVID-19. The current study compared the level of SWP pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19. Further, it was tested whether the association between COVID-19 and SWP varied across levels of worries regarding COVID-19, family support and pre-COVID-19 concentration difficulties. Dutch adolescents from tertiary vocational education (Mage = 16.78, SD = 0.95) completed surveys at four time points (fall 2019, spring 2020, fall 2020 and fall 2021). Results from the mixed methods ANCOVA showed no difference in the mean levels of SWP between fall 2019 and fall 2021: Similar levels of SWP between pre-COVID-19 and the initial phase of COVID-19 as well as between the initial stage and prevailing phases of COVID-19. Also, the association between COVID-19 and SWP were not dependent upon worries regarding COVID-19, family support and pre-COVID-19 concentration difficulties. In conclusion, results from this study are comforting since these suggest that COVID-19 were not associated with a mean level increase in SWP and no greater increases in SWP were found among specific groups.