A new study has found that students experienced elevated levels of depression and anxiety as in-class learning and outdoor activities were restricted amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the survey of 341-thousand-412 students from elementary to high school conducted between February 11 and 18, 27 percent of elementary school students said they were more depressed than before the pandemic, while 26-point-three percent felt more anxious.

Among middle and high school students, 12-point-two percent reported moderate to severe levels of depression. Seven percent said they suffered from anxiety. The responses were relative to a metric based on feeling depressed or anxious seven or more days in two consecutive weeks.

Forty-three-point-two percent of the respondents said their academic stress levels, such as concerns over their grades falling, had increased since the pandemic. Thirty-one-point-five percent said their relationships with friends had worsened.

The education ministry plans to reinforce psychological and emotional support provided to students by implementing educational programs on depression and anxiety, as well as by offering various counseling services.

The survey, conducted by Korea Research, was commissioned by the Korea Educational Environments Protection Agency.