Impact of online schooling during COVID-19 pandemic, on mental health and well-being of adolescents living in urban slum area in Nehru Nagar, Vile Parle (W).

Participant: Jayshree Dhabaria
Batch 16

Organisation: Vivekananda Youth Forum (VYF)

Area of impact: Education and Mental Health

Alignment with SDGs

3

Good health and well-being

4

Quality education

10

Reduced inequality

Brief description

The project, conducted in collaboration with Vivekananda Youth Forum (VYF), sheds light on the profound impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and online schooling on adolescents, particularly those residing in the Nehru Nagar slum area in Mumbai. With VYF's extensive experience in empowering children and youth through education and mentorship, the study underscores the urgency of assessing their mental health status and the effects of virtual learning. Utilising the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Perceived Stress Score (PSS), the project surveyed adolescents to reveal alarming levels of mental health concerns, with 92% falling into abnormal or borderline categories on the SDQ. Predominant issues included peer problems, stress, and anxiety, exacerbated by the challenges of remote learning and restricted movement. The study underscores the pressing need for interventions to support adolescents' well-being, emphasising the importance of prioritising initiatives like Project Sandhyalaya, an initiative of VYF to provide educational support, mentorship, and extracurricular activities to nurture the holistic development of children in marginalised settings.