State Anxiety Prior to and After Participating in Lockdown Drills Among Students in a Rural High School

Widespread concern exists that participating in lockdown and active shooter drills, practices that although discussed synonymously are different, may be similarly traumatizing for students. This study examined state anxiety levels—anxiety-present (i.e., anxiety) and anxiety-absent (i.e., well-being)—among students in one rural high school, as reported on the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory short form one week prior to (N = 610) and immediately following participation in a lockdown drill (N = 736). Students reported low anxiety and moderate well-being at both time points. Independent samples t-tests results revealed that students postdrill reported significantly lower anxiety levels as compared to students’ predrill scores. Well-being, based on anxiety-absent reports, was significantly higher postdrill as compared to one week prior to the practice. The implications of these findings, including the need for policy to provide more explicit guidance about conducting drills in accordance with best practices, are discussed. Impact Statement Widespread concern exists that participating in active shooter and lockdown drills may be traumatizing for students. This study is the first to assess anxiety in real-time with a large sample of high school students after participation in a lockdown drill. Findings indicate that, contrary to beliefs, high school students reported lower anxiety and higher well-being immediately after participating in a lockdown drill (locking the door, turning off lights, moving out of sight, with no simulated scenarios) compared to students surveyed one week prior.