Perception of health, loneliness, happiness and anxiety in Covid times in schoolchildren The moderating role of gender and teacher support

Abstract

Given the health situation generated by COVID-19, negative behaviours spread as a threat to mental health. In this sense, the objective was to determine
the relationship between the perception of health, loneliness, happiness and level of anxiety in primary school children, observing the moderating role of sex and teacher support during the state of alarm decreed due to COVID- 19. For this, a composite descriptive cross-sectional study was designed with a sample of 116 Spanish schoolchildren. The anxiety index was assessed using the Spence Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS) questionnaire. The perception of health, loneliness, happiness, and teacher support were assessed using items from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children questionnaire. The results found show significant differences in the global anxiety index in favor of women (p <.05). Likewise, higher anxiety values are related
to a greater perception of loneliness (p <.05) regardless of gender and the perception of teacher support. In conclusion, the perception of loneliness and the level of anxiety may be related in schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 during the state of alarm decreed due to COVID-19.