TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Self-reported anxiety and perception of safety following school lockdown drills among adolescent youth
JO  - Journal of school health
A1  - Riggs, Alexandra
A1  - Bergmann, Kelly R.
A1  - Zagel, Alicia L.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - BACKGROUND: Lockdown drills are mandated within many educational settings in the US; they may contribute to adverse mental health and there is little to suggest their effectiveness. We describe factors associated with post-drill anxiety and perceived effectiveness of drills. <br><br>METHODS: We surveyed youth-caregiver dyads presenting to the pediatric emergency department. Nonparametric tests compared factors across groups of child anxiety and caregiver perceived effectiveness of drills. Kappa statistics (κ) measured child-caregiver agreement on post-drill anxiety and depression symptoms. <br><br>RESULTS: 108 child-caregiver dyads were included. Post-lockdown drill anxiety was reported by 27% of children; those reporting anxiety were more likely to have histories of bullying or skipping school for safety (p = 0.0004). Of caregivers, 47% believed drills effectively prevent firearm injury. There was a significant disparity between child and caregiver report of post-drill mental health symptomatology (κ anxiety = 0.19; κ depression = 0.30). Implications for School Health, Policy, Practice, and Equity: Understanding factors contributing to anxiety surrounding lockdown drills and perception of drill effectiveness may aid policy decisions and resource allocation. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Lockdown drills may increase mental health symptoms in children, while caregivers may not recognize this occurrence. Studies to identify risk factors of acute and chronic post-lockdown drill anxiety will help determine how to better serve youth.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-4391
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/josh.13362
ID  - ref1
ER  -