Effects of COVID-19 on Cognitive and Psychosocial Development and Academic Life of Children and Adolescents

In this project, children and adolescents in primary school, secondary school and high school age and their mothers' COVID-19 experiences, cognitive development (autobiographical memory), social development (emotion regulation, cyberbullying, cyber victimization, prosocial behaviors, introversion and extroversion of children and youth) -orientation), academic interest, media use, and participation in out-of-school activities. When the situation of families, parenting behaviors and development of their children before COVID-19 and during the period of COVID-19 are compared; mothers reported that their marital satisfaction and conflicts between spouses decreased, but their depression, anxiety and stress levels increased, and they had difficulty in emotion regulation. While there was a significant decrease in the academic interest of children attending primary and secondary school, there was a decrease in primary school students' attachment to school. In addition, a significant increase was observed in children's disobedience to the rules, disobedience, and aggressive behaviors, while helping others and supporting them decreased. While the deterioration in the psychological health of the mothers was associated with the increase in the psychological control behaviors used against their children; The difficulties experienced by children in the distance education process, the problems of children and adolescents in regulating their emotions, cyberbullying and cyber victimization, obsessive social media use, aggression, breaking the rules, depression, anxiety and increase in conflicts between siblings and decrease in academic interest emerged as the most important factors. out. In addition, maternal exposure to COVID-19 was associated with an increase in children's anxiety levels, breaking the rules, and a decrease in their aggressive behavior. The most important findings of this project are that the difficulties experienced by children and adolescents in distance education are effective in many different areas of their development, and the anxiety, depression and stress levels of mothers increased significantly compared to pre-COVID-19. By sharing the findings that distance education negatively affects the development of children and young people, the importance of everyone's compliance with COVID-19 precautions should be emphasized; In addition, mothers should be provided with psychological support.