OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the lives of high school students as well. Prolonged confinement, social isolation, fear of the disease, or the loss of a close family member are all experiences that students may have endured. Our aim was to assess students’ health and risk behaviours, relationships, and mental health after the fifth wave of COVID-19.

METHODS: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was carried out between 2022.03.01. and 2022. 04.15. We selected Hungarian secondary school students between 15-20 years of age (N=150). Our self-administered questionnaire consisted of questions about socio-demographic factors, perceived health status, peer relationships, satisfaction with life and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

RESULTS: The majority of our sample are girls, vocational students and were living in villages. The mean age is 16.85±1.51 years. Most of them spend two hours a day in front of the TV, and an additional three hours with other electronic tools in their free time. 20.8% of students have four, 19.8% have three, 18.8% have five close friends. 52.1% rate their health as „good”, 31.3% as „appropriate”. The mean score of their life satisfaction is 6.34±1.85. Average score of PSS was 31.74± 9.13. The mean PSS score of girls (33.07±9.07) are significantly higher than the boys’ (25.88±6.96; p=0.001). There is no relation between age and PSS score (p=0.161), or the type of school (p=0.412).

CONCLUSIONS: The study showed significant stress and symptoms of mental problems, especially among girls. The information revealed allows for a better understanding of the health indicators and psychological characteristics of adolescents. Our results provide information for the development of prevention programs, thereby contributing to the reduction of adolescents’ behavioural disorders.