Has the “Double Reduction” policy relieved stress? A follow-up study on Chinese adolescents

PURPOSE: “Double Reduction” Policy requires schools to reduce the burden of excessive homework and off-campus training for Chinese students to reduce their academic stress and promote mental health. We conducted a study in compulsory education students before and after the “Double Reduction” Policy to explore changes in mental health problems and relevant influential factors. METHODS: A total of 28,398 elementary and junior high school students completed both waves of the survey through electronic questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GDA-7). Demographic information was evaluated at baseline, and “Double Reduction” related factors and negative life events were measured at follow up. RESULTS: The overall depression and anxiety levels significantly decreased after the “Double Reduction” Policy. Girls, poor parental marital quality, chronic physical illness, and psychiatric family history were related to increased occurrence of mental health. Sleep duration > 8 h/night, reduced homework, more extracurricular activities more time with parents, and reduced academic stress were protective factors against mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: The “Double Reduction” Policy has improved the mental health symptoms of students to a certain extent. Appropriately increasing sleep time, participating in more extracurricular activities and parental involvement, and reducing the burden of homework are effective ways to promote the development of students’ mental health.