School closures and well-being-related topic searches on Google during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Following the outbreak of the 2020 coronavirus, governments adopted non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to save lives. The NPIs have been deemed to have unintended consequences on mental health and well-being. This study aimed to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-induced school closures on the relative search volumes (RSVs) of well-being-relevant topics in 30 low and lower- middle income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

Google Trends search data, difference-in-differences and event study methods were used to evaluate the impact on the related search volume (RSV) of well-being related topic queries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Results

The results suggest positive and significant increases in the search intensity for anger, boredom, fear, sle

SUBMITTER: Anaduaka US 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10294314 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature