High levels of psychological distress were observed within the sample: 59% reported clinically significant depressive symptoms, 39% severe anxiety, 35% clinically significant PTSD symptoms, and 13% alcohol use suggestive of dependence. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that fear of COVID-19 was a significant predictor of all four mental health outcomes (p p p Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of school-based mental health interventions that target learners' cognitive appraisals of threat and vulnerability during periods of educational disruption, with implications for strengthening preparedness for future public health emergencies.
Coetzee et al. (Sun,) studied this question.