The Impact of Covid-19 Related School Shutdown on Sleep in Adolescents

Article Critique: The Impact of Covid-19 Related School Shutdown on Sleep in Adolescents- A Natural Experiment
Article Summary
The study is experimental since the study itself mentions it was a natural experiment. In the experimental studies, an intervention is introduced, which could be the schools’ sudden shutdown with the advent of Covid-19. This sudden influence was studied with the qualitative study method, which was semi-structured interviews with 45 adolescents. The independent variable was the unanticipated school shut down due to Covid-19, and the dependent variable was the sleep behaviors of the developing adolescents. There was no manipulation done with the independent variable, which is the sudden outbreak of the pandemic. It was an abrupt incident that took place; it did not need any changes. Only the impacts of this sudden change were to be studied. The operationalization of the dependent variable, sleep behaviors, was done in the form of changes in the sleep schedule, sleep quality due to later sleeping hours, lesser daytime sleepiness due to not having to wake up forcefully, and improved daytime performance.
The terms dependent and independent are operationally defined since their measurement is to be done by particular computation methods of the selected study design. No evident changes were made on the independent variable since Covid itself was a change that imposed some drastic alterations on our society’s normal routines. For instance, it was the adolescents’ routine to wake up early morning before Covid compared to their normal waking times on the off days. Now that the schools’ abrupt closing down forced the schools to shift their online methods, the classes’ timings were late and allowed the adolescent to wake up late in the morning. However, they slept late at night as well but woke up late as well. This brought a change of two hours sleep pattern. Hence, the Covid itself is the independent variable that needs no amendments or variations. Still, it is the sole reason why changes were brought in the mechanisms of our society, especially the school-going children. The dependent variable was operationalized openly since it was clearly stated what is meant by ‘sleep behaviors. It is defined by the level of daytime sleepiness that was more than now when the children sleep two hours later than their normal sleep time and woke up late. It is inferred that they woke up at their usual time and did not have to be woken up forcefully; hence, their sleep duration was accurate. They felt fresh and completed their online school tasks, such as participating in the arts or physical education classes.
The qualitative research study design was adopted for this particular research since the natural experiment was aimed. The adolescents were asked questions about how pandemic suddenly impacted their daily school routine lives. It had to be measured how disrupted school routines impacted their sleep behaviors and how it affected their physical performances throughout the day and their online classes. Thus, a semi-structured interview approach was used with the use of interviews that were being conducted over the phone. Forty-five adolescents were chosen, out of which 32 were girls, the mean age was 13.5 years, 96% Caucasians, 2% Asians, and 2% were multiethnic (Gruber et al., 2020). There is no clear mention that whether the respondents were selected randomly or by any other method. It is not citing that they were selected from a nearby school, neighborhood or training center, etc. The trained research assistants were assigned to conduct this study, and the process was carried out from April 28 to June 3, 2020. The criteria based on the research were the analysis of pre-and during pandemic sleep timetables, the duration of their sleep, the timings of waking up, and the daytime sleepiness after the number of hours they slept.
Semi-structured phone interviews were arranged on a one-on-one basis with the participants to be asked personally. Their anonymous presence was ensured so that the participants felt comfortable while responding. They were later transcribed and uploaded to MAXQDA 2020. It is Verbi software that helps to analyze audio files and survey responses with credibility. Coding was done independently by two researchers for which a pre-developed system theme was deductively formed to perform the interview guide’s function. Also, the additional content of interviews was inductively developed for further support in the responses’ computation. The use of these coded themes was made so that the comparison of analysis would become easier. Data triangulation was also utilized to find where disconfirmation of the evidence was omitted for bringing more validity to the results. The convergence of information from various sources was the objective for a better view of concepts and establishing variables’ relationship.
The findings were presented in the form of a table where questions were rearranged with their corresponding responses. Questions 1-3 denoted that the sleep schedule has been changed by two hours due to the disruption of school routine due to Covid-19. Questions 4-5 depicted that they went to bed late and woke up late. Questions 6-10 were answered with the confidence that school-related stress was lesser since they did not wake up early. Questions 11-13 noted that 55% of the participants felt lazy and sleepy in school when they had to wake up early since they felt they were getting less sleep. Question 14-15 showed that they did not feel sleepy anymore during the pandemic-imposed online school routine as they slept late and woke up naturally, without any force. Questions 16-20 answered that their parents or an alarm clock still waked up few; otherwise, they woke up at their own feasible time.
Critique of the Study
The sample used in the study was not appropriate since it was not representative of the population. It is even mentioned in the study limitations itself since, as mentioned above, it is not stating from where the sample was taken and how it was selected. The random sample would have been more appropriate to make the sample representative of the total population. For instance, the sample did not incorporate an equal number of boys and girls. It is unclear to deduct whether all the ages of adolescent years were included or not.
Moreover, if the students were not selected from various schools, it would be hard to reason that they represented the sample from the specific community or city. There is no revealing to which state, city, or county the students belonged. Hence, the chosen sample does not represent the true population. It would not be easy to replicate since it is probable that different results would be produced if the sample is selected differently.
The dependent variable was measured to be valid since the construct validity was accurately done. The reason for saying so is that the concept appointed as the dependent variable for which the effects were to be analyzed, their indicators were set related to it. For example, ‘sleep behavior’ was the dependent variable for which its indicators were the adolescents’ sleep schedule, sleep quality due to late sleeping hours, lesser daytime sleepiness due to not having to wake up forcefully, and better daytime functioning. Moreover, content validity is also observed since all the constructs’ aspects were tested representatively by the test. Although inductive and deductive themes were coding systems and no statistical measures were used for this purpose, the researchers’ coding was done based on data triangulation. The misrepresentation of data non-conformity was avoided in this process, making the construct ‘content valid.’
The authors of the study employed one of the ethical safeguards, which was keeping the respondents’ anonymity through collecting information via phone interviews. Another ethical criterion, which is informed consent, was not mentioned in the study. Although it is indicated that transcription of the interviews was made anonymously; however, another major criterion, informed consent, should have been deployed.
The follow-up study that I could suggest for the selected article could be analyzing the effect on adolescents’ academic performance due to their changing sleep patterns in the advent of Covid-19. Since the chosen article talks about students feeling active during their daily tasks in the online school routine and they did not feel sleepy as they did before in their physical schools, their academic performance would be hypothesized to be better. This hypothesis could be used in the follow-up study where the sample would be taken from a neighborhood school, including students from all classes representing an equal number of boys and girls with all age years of adolescence.
The method used in the article could have used statistical analysis for better interpretation of the results. It seems as if the researchers have used manually coded analysis methods for concluding the results, which seem to lack many of the apt methods for analysis. If statistical analyses were used, it would have brought strength to the results’ validity and reliability. Moreover, if the sample was taken with suitable means and was the true demonstrative of the sample, the results could have differed.
Brief Summary of the Article
With the onset of Covid-19, the schools had to shut down their physical schooling practice and switched to the online method. The article aims to study the schools’ sudden closure on adolescent students’ sleep behaviors. A qualitative study was designed in which semi-structured interviews on a one-on-one basis were conducted with 45 adolescents from April 28 to June 3, 2020. Since it was a natural experiment, the results showed a two-hour delay in the students’ sleep time, and they woke up late as well. It was not done forcefully, and it increased their sleep duration, which directly affected their daytime sleepiness. Their daytime drowsiness was reduced, and they felt active in their online school tasks.
It is proposed that if post-Covid school times are delayed so that students follow their natural sleep times, it would positively affect their physical performance and improve their sleep health. They would feel less sluggish and would be more active in their school tasks, contributing to their better efficiency in the class. It is also stated that the results were consistent with the previous studies that showed students waking up naturally had better health and less sluggishness during the day. It is even recommended that if school time for young ones remains the same and for older youth are changed to later hours, then the school density would be reduced, and the transmission of Covid among the children and teachers would be diminished, encouraging better sleep and health.
References
Griber, R., Saha, S., Somerville, G., Boursier, J. & Wise, M.S. (2020). The impact of Covid-19 related school shutdown on sleep in adolescents: A natural experiment. Sleep Medicine, 76, 33-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2020.09.015