1.1.3. The Current Study

The unprecedented, rapid spread of COVID-19 has negatively affected mankind. Middle school students are of particular interest when examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic because they are in a formative period for socioemotional development, and because they are not as mature as adults, making them more vulnerable to the effects of the current pandemic. Although middle school students are greatly affected by COVID-19, there are few studies looking at how COVID-19 affects them. In particular, we do not know how their behaviors and lives have changed since COVID-19. Thus, this study explores the relationships between possible indicators and protective behavior changes among middle school students since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This study seeks to (1) examine how individual factors such as age, gender and physical health influenced protective behavior changes since COVID-19; (2) investigate how family factors such as closeness and communication quality influenced protective behavior changes; and (3) explore how environmental factors such as levels of sanitation since COVID-19 and perceptions regarding the risk of COVID-19 influenced protective behavior changes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
