Abitur examination: Only after leaving school did the young people's well-being improve again
Photo: Tobias Kleinschmidt/ dpa
The life satisfaction of high school graduates born in 2020 and 2021 fell at an above-average rate during the corona pandemic.
The well-being of the high school graduates fell by half a point on a scale of zero to ten during this period, and thus significantly more than the average of the population, as a study published on Monday by the University of Bamberg and the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) shows .
According to the researchers, this slump is “atypical for young people”.
"It corresponds, for example, to the drastic decline in life satisfaction in war zones," said Alexander Patzina from the University of Bamberg.
Risks of anxiety and depression increased sharply
After the first school closures in March 2020, mental health in the 2020 and 2021 Abitur cohorts did not show a negative trend in the short term.
However, their life satisfaction and mental health then fell sharply between the first and second lockdown in winter 2020/2021.
During this period, the risk of anxiety and depression in particular increased sharply in the 2021 Abitur cohort, and life satisfaction fell somewhat more sharply.
more on the subject
Mental problems in children and young people: »If you don't leave your room, it's time to get help« An interview by Kristin Haug
Child psychiatrist warns: "I have never seen such a long waiting list" by Jelena Berner, Silke Fokken and Heike Klovert
Student study by the TU Dortmund: The pandemic blues remains - despite open schools
Child psychology in the pandemic: "Disorders that persist" by Kerstin Kullmann
Only after leaving school did the well-being of the high school graduates improve again, and the differences between the two Corona cohorts examined disappeared.
However, both Abitur cohorts did not return to their pre-pandemic levels of mental health and life satisfaction by autumn 2021.
Consequences for training and studies
Due to the consequences for mental health, the researchers see an increased risk of prematurely dropping out of training or studies.
These possible individual consequences would in turn have economic effects.
According to the study, dropping out and changing education causes costs, for example for advice and for staying longer in the education system.
The analysis is based on IAB data from around 8,000 high school graduates in the period from autumn 2019 to autumn 2021. They attended 217 schools in eight federal states, including Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.
sun/AFP
