Abstract
BackgroundThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to threaten the physical and mental health of people across the world. This study aimed to understand the psychological impact of this disease on adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) at 1 month after the start of the outbreak in China.MethodsUsing the Children’s Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13) questionnaire, we investigated the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in two groups of adolescents: MDD patients who were in continuous antidepressant therapy and healthy controls. Total scores and factor subscores were compared between the two groups and subgroups stratified by sex and school grade. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with high total CRIES-13 scores.ResultsCompared to controls (n = 107), the MDD group (n = 90) had higher total CRIES-13 scores and a higher proportion with a total score ≥ 30. They also had a lower intrusion subscore and a higher arousal subscore. In the MDD group, males and females did not differ significantly in total CRIES-13 scores or factor subscores, but junior high school students had higher avoidance subscores than senior high school students. Logistic regression showed high total CRIES-13 scores to be associated with MDD and the experience of “flashbacks” or avoidance of traumatic memories associated with COVID-19.ConclusionsIt is crucial to understand the psychological impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with MDD in China, especially females and junior high school students. Long-term monitoring of adolescents with a history of mental illness is required to further understand these impacts.Trial registrationChiCTR, ChiCTR2000033402, Registered 31 May 2020,
Highlights
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to threaten the physical and mental health of people across the world
We investigated the posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in major depressive disorder (MDD) adolescents after COVID-19 outbreak in China
Demographic characteristics Of the 95 patients and 120 controls initially enrolled, valid questionnaires were received from 90 patients and controls
Summary
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to threaten the physical and mental health of people across the world. This study aimed to understand the psychological impact of this disease on adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) at 1 month after the start of the outbreak in China. It is important not to overlook the mental health of children and adolescents [9], especially because it could lead to an increased risk of psychiatric disease in adulthood [10]. Younger children were found more sensitive than older adolescents in mood changes over time [12] The moderating factors such as gender, social connection, family conflicts and media exposure were considered to affect the mental health of adolescents during this period [13]. Having prior psychiatric diagnoses especially major depressive disorder (MDD) predicted a higher vulnerability to the posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in COVID-19 pandemic [14, 15]. While family and social support can help the adolescents promoting resilience during the COVID-19 crisis [13, 17]
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