School Closures and Child Well‐Being: Cross‐National Comparison Between Four European Countries During the COVID ‐19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective We examined whether school closures were negatively related to child well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Europe. We did so by comparing child well‐being in spring (i.e., lockdown) and fall 2020 (i.e., period of loosened restrictions) in European countries with and without school closures. In addition, we explored interrelations between parental and child well‐being. Background To protect the mental health of children in future global crises, it is important to understand the relationship between COVID‐19 restrictions such as school closures and both the well‐being of children and family dynamics. Methods We conducted a cross‐national online study with parents ( N = 423) from Germany ( n = 97), the United Kingdom ( n = 96), Norway ( n = 125), and Sweden ( n = 105). We assessed parents' well‐being (47% male, M age = 40.71, SD age = 8.37) and children's well‐being (54% boys, M age = 9.65, SD age = 2.32) as reported by their parents for spring and fall 2020. Results Findings indicate that children's well‐being was higher in fall than in spring 2020, but only in countries with school closures in spring 2020. Further, the well‐being of children and parents was similarly interrelated at both times. Conclusion The findings highlight the impact policies can have on child well‐being, although definitive conclusions about causality cannot be made given the study's quasi‐experimental design. Implications Potential impacts of policies on child well‐being need to be considered when developing interventions in future crises.