According to the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study by WHO/Europe, Slovenian adolescents from lower income households faced significant barriers to homeschooling in 2020 due to measures taken to control the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures and restrictions on movement affected their schooling and social interactions, distancing them from their peers and primary social setting. However, these effects were more serious for vulnerable groups, such as adolescents from less wealthy families, who experienced suboptimal homeschooling environments, including a lack of personal space for studying and inadequate support for schoolwork. Moreover, these adolescents also experienced greater feelings of loneliness and isolation than those from more affluent families.
The study collected data from 3052 adolescents aged 14 and 18 years and found that approximately 15% of adolescents did not have a dedicated space at home for schoolwork, especially those from non-nuclear families or those with an unemployed parent. Approximately 10% of adolescents reported infrequent access to electronic devices, online tools and social media and communication platforms, with higher percentages observed among those from non-nuclear families. In addition, 26.6% of adolescents reported receiving little to no support from teachers and parents for their schoolwork during lockdown, particularly those from less wealthy families.
The consequences of these factors can create significant challenges for the overall development of adolescents, with one in five reporting feeling lonely frequently and rarely feeling a sense of belonging with their friends. Adolescents from non-nuclear family structures and those from lower socioeconomic status households were more likely to feel lonely and experience social isolation.
Therefore, it is crucial that schools, governments, and NGOs prioritize the needs of less affluent families and youth in their policies, programmes, and initiatives to reduce loneliness and promote healthy living. Targeted prevention and support programs are required to address inequalities in education, well-being, and healthy lifestyles during and after the pandemic. The findings indicate that adolescents from less wealthy families are a vulnerable group that requires continued attention and support to ensure equal access to education, well-being, and healthy lifestyles.
The HBSC study is a cross-national study of the health and well-being of adolescents across Europe and Canada, conducted in close collaboration with WHO/Europe. The survey is undertaken every 4 years for 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds. The survey in Slovenia, financed by the Ministry of Health and supported by the Ministry of Education, was part of a series of national surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in countries across the Region, which WHO/Europe will release over the next months.
