OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify why findings from prior studies appear to not support that ethnoracial disparities in mental health were aggravated by testing 2 pathways. In pathway 1 pathway, online learning was associated with reporting fewer confidants, which in turn was associated with poorer mental health. In pathway 2, online learning was associated with reporting better sleep, which in turn was associated with better mental health.
METHODS: We analyzed survey data from a US sample (N=540) of 13- to 17-year-olds to estimate how school modality was associated with mental health via the 2 pathways. The sample was recruited from the AmeriSpeak Teen Panel during spring of 2021, with an oversample of Black and Latino respondents. Ethnoracial categories were Black, Latino, White, and other. Mental health was measured with the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, which assesses self-reported frequency of experiencing symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression. School modality was recorded as either fully online or with some in-person component (fully in-person or hybrid). We recorded self-reports of the number of confidants and quality of sleep. Covariates included additional demographics and access to high-speed internet. We estimated bivariate associations between ethnoracial group membership and both school modality and mental health. To test the pathways, we estimated a path model.
RESULTS: Black and Latino respondents were more likely to report being in fully online learning than their White counterparts (P<.001). Respondents in fully online learning reported fewer confidants than those with any in-person learning component (β=-.403; P=.001), and reporting fewer confidants was associated with an increased likelihood of reporting symptoms consistent with anxiety (β=-.121; P=.01) and depression (β=-.197; P<.001). Fully online learning respondents also reported fewer concerns of insufficient sleep than their in-person learning counterparts (β=-.162; P=.006), and reporting fewer concerns was associated with a decreased likelihood of reporting symptoms consistent with anxiety (β=.601; P<.001) and depression (β=.588; P<.001). Because of these countervailing pathways, the total effect of membership in a minoritized ethnoracial group on mental health was nonsignificant.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings compel more nuanced discussions about the consequences of online learning and theorizing about the pandemic\'s impact on minoritized ethnoracial groups. While online learning may be a detriment to social connections, it appears to benefit sleep. Interventions should foster social connections in online learning and improve sleep, such as implementing policies to enable later start times for classes. Future research should incorporate administrative data about school modality, rather than relying on self-reports.
目的:本研究旨在确定为什么先前研究的结果似乎不支持通过测试2种途径来加剧心理健康方面的睡眠差异。在途径1途径中,在线学习与报告更少的知己有关,这反过来又与较差的心理健康有关。在途径2中,在线学习与报告更好的睡眠有关,这反过来又与更好的心理健康有关。
方法:我们分析了来自美国样本(N=540)的13至17岁青少年的调查数据,以评估学校模态如何通过两种途径与心理健康相关联。该样本是在2021年春季从AmeriSpeak青少年小组招募的,其中黑人和拉丁裔受访者样本过多。亚硝酸盐类别是黑色,拉丁裔,白色,和其他。心理健康用4项患者健康问卷进行测量,评估自我报告的经历与焦虑和抑郁一致的症状的频率。学校模式被记录为完全在线或具有某些亲自组成部分(完全亲自或混合)。我们记录了知己数量和睡眠质量的自我报告。协变量包括额外的人口统计数据和对高速互联网的访问。我们估计了老年组成员资格与学校模态和心理健康之间的双变量关联。为了测试路径,我们估计了一个路径模型。
结果:黑人和拉丁裔受访者比白人受访者更有可能报告处于完全在线学习状态(P<.001)。完全在线学习的受访者报告的知己比具有任何当面学习成分的受访者少(β=-.403;P=.001),报告较少知己与报告与焦虑(β=-.121;P=.01)和抑郁(β=-.197;P<.001)一致的症状的可能性增加相关。完全在线学习的受访者也报告了与面对面学习的人相比,对睡眠不足的担忧更少(β=-.162;P=.006),和报告较少的担忧与报告与焦虑(β=.601;P<.001)和抑郁(β=.588;P<.001)一致的症状的可能性降低相关。因为这些反补贴途径,少数族裔群体成员对心理健康的总影响不显著.
结论:这些发现迫使人们对在线学习的后果进行更细致的讨论,并对大流行对少数族裔群体的影响进行理论化。虽然在线学习可能会损害社会关系,它似乎有益于睡眠。干预措施应促进在线学习中的社交联系并改善睡眠,例如实施策略以启用类的稍后开始时间。未来的研究应该纳入关于学校模式的行政数据,而不是依靠自我报告。