Table 2.
Descriptive statistics on the different variables surrounding mental health and coping mechanisms
| Before the COVID-19 pandemic | During the COVID-19 pandemica | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | % children victimized | X2; df; p-value | n (%) | % children victimized | X2; df; p-value | |
| Mental health | ||||||
| Acute stress symptoms (ASS) | – | – | – | 20.85; 1; <.001 | ||
| No | 687 (78.97) | 12.52 | ||||
| Yes | 183 (21.03) | 26.23 | ||||
| Perceived stress (PSS) | – | – | – | 21.67; 2; <.001 | ||
| Low | 195 (22.41) | 8.21 | ||||
| Moderate | 542 (62.30) | 15.13 | ||||
| High | 133 (15.29) | 27.07 | ||||
| Psychological distress (PHQ-4) | – | – | – | 28.87; 3; <.001 | ||
| No | 272 (31.26) | 9.56 | ||||
| Mild | 315 (36.21) | 14.60 | ||||
| Moderate | 158 (18.16) | 15.19 | ||||
| Severe | 125 (14.37) | 30.40 | ||||
| (Ab) use of | ||||||
| Alcohol | 4.27; 1; .039 | 0.32; 1; .573 | ||||
| No | 422 (48.51) | 18.01 | 435 (50.00) | 14.71 | ||
| Problematic | 448 (51.49) | 12.95 | 435 (50.00) | 16.09 | ||
| Sedatives | 14.01; 2; <.001 | 13.93; 2; <.001 | ||||
| No | 547 (62.87) | 11.88 | 638 (73.33) | 12.62 | ||
| Yes | 314 (36.09) | 21.34 | 228 (26.12) | 22.81 | ||
| No answer | 9 (1.03) | 22.22 | 8 (.92) | 25.00 | ||
| THC | 1.575; 2; .455 | 2.42; 2; .298 | ||||
| No | 644 (74.02) | 15.68 | 815 (93.68) | 15.09 | ||
| Yes | 215 (24.71) | 13.95 | 46 (5.29) | 17.39 | ||
| No answer | 11 (1.26) | 27.27 | 9 (1.03) | 33.33 | ||
| Stimulants | 0.511; 2; .774 | .161* | ||||
| No | 791 (90.92) | 15.42 | 844 (97.01) | 15.17 | ||
| Yes | 65 (7.47) | 13.85 | 15 (1.72) | 13.33 | ||
| No answer | 14 (1.61) | 21.43 | 11 (1.26) | 36.36 | ||
| Self-harming behaviour & suicidal ideation | ||||||
| Suicidal thoughts | 24.00; 2; <.001 | 33.09; 2; <.001 | ||||
| No | 591 (67.93) | 11.34 | 706 (81.15) | 12.04 | ||
| Yes | 257 (29.54) | 24.51 | 147 (16.90) | 30.61 | ||
| No answer | 22 (2.53) | 18.18 | 17 (1.95) | 23.53 | ||
| Suicide attempts | 8.01; 2; .018 | 1.000* | ||||
| No | 815 (93.68) | 14.72 | 858 (98.62) | 15.50 | ||
| Yes | 43 (4.94) | 30.23 | 2 (.23) | 0 | ||
| No answer | 12 (1.38) | 8.33 | 10 (1.15) | 10.00 | ||
| Self-mutilation | 9.80; 2; .007 | 12.17; 2; .002 | ||||
| No | 777 (89.31) | 14.29 | 841 (96.67) | 14.86 | ||
| Yes | 81 (9.31) | 27.16 | 18 (2.07) | 44.44 | ||
| No answer | 12 (1.38) | 8.33 | 11 (1.26) | 9.09 | ||
aDuring the COVID-19 pandemic: Only the second wave for the mental health variables. The first and second wave were taken together for the (ab) use and self-harming behaviour and suicidal ideation variables
* Fisher’s Exact Test (instead of Chi Square Test): p-value
A corrected p-level of .05/7 = .007 was used as the critical significance level for the 1st set of comparisons (before the COVID-19 pandemic). A corrected p-level of .05/10 = .005 was used as the critical significance level for the 2nd set of comparisons (during the COVID-19 pandemic). The mental health scales were not asked for the period before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic