COVID-19 and the class of 2020: a national study of the mental health and wellbeing of Leaving Certificate students in Ireland

The coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt education in unprecedented ways. The first school closures in Ireland took place in March 2020, affecting many students, but especially those who were preparing for their end-of-school Leaving Certificate (LC) examinations. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which COVID-19 had impacted the health and wellbeing of the ‘class of 2020’. Some comparisons were also made with a 2015 health...