Abstract
As a result of insufficient information, this study investigated the mental health of Grade 12 learners during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, in the Bojanala region, North West, South Africa. Grade 12 learners returned to school, after a nine-week hard lockdown. A nonexperimental quantitative survey design study was conducted with a sample of 274 learners (females = 157, males = 117), whereby random sampling was implemented to select the participating schools. The Child Youth Mental Health Profiling System (CYMHPS) was used to gather real time data and adhere to the COVID-19 social distancing protocols. This profiling system consisted of the following psychological tests: a biographical questionnaire, Child and Youth Resilience Measurement–28 (CYRM-28), Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), “About Me” Questionnaire (AMQ), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM) and a COVID-19 psychological test. The IBM SPSS Statistics Version 26/27 was used to analyse the data. The overall results highlighted the increased anxiety and stress experienced by the learners. Accordingly, 12.8% of the participants, mainly females, stated that they had experienced four or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These included experiences of emotional abuse, emotional neglect and household dysfunction. Important positive correlations were identified between a family member who had experienced mental health difficulties and suicidal thoughts, higher resilience and lowered mental health disorders and, lastly, positive school culture, academic competence and general self-worth. The biopsychosocial theory of George Engel (1977) underpinned this study, supported by the social ontogenesis theory of Bame Nsamenang (2006). This study is likely to have a global impact and inform policy makers, as well as other stakeholders, regarding the mental health of final year high school students experiencing traumatic events.
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)