Emotional wellbeing in schoolchildren and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: an intervention study

Introduction The development and promotion of emotional skills in the school environment are key to affective growth and academic performance. The main objective of this study is to explore the emotional wellbeing of students and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in four Spanish schools. The secondary objective is to analyze the impact of an emotional intervention program on the mental wellbeing of the school community. Methods During the pandemic, data on emotional wellbeing and school climate were collected from children aged 9–12 and their teachers, from four schools in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) during 3 school years (2020–2023). Three of the schools received an intervention program to promote mental wellbeing. The intervention included teacher training in reflective practice, emotional care sessions, and family group activities and workshops. The data were analyzed in aggregated form. A difference-in-differences analysis (impact estimation) was conducted, along with inferential statistical analyses using Student's t -tests to compare means. Results An overall downward trend across all parameters was observed during the study period among students and teachers in all schools. The intervention showed significant positive effects, with difference-in-differences estimates indicating improvement rates of 2.12% and 2.06% in children's quality of life (KIDSCREEN) and perceived school climate (CEP), respectively, relative to the maximum scale score, when comparing the intervention group with the control group. With regard to teachers' mental wellbeing (WEMWBS), the corresponding rate of improvement was 5.04%. Discussion Although the intervention appeared to have some beneficial effects on teachers' and children's emotional well-being, further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this intervention program and its efficacy in non-pandemic settings.