Abstract
BackgroundThe COVID-19 era is a time of unprecedented stress, and there is widespread concern regarding its short- and long-term mental health impact. Adolescence is a sensitive period for the emergence of latent psychopathology vulnerabilities, often activated by environmental stressors. The present study examined COVID-19′s impact on adolescent depression and possible influences of different domains of social connectedness (loneliness, social media use, social video game time, degree of social activity participation). MethodsA community sample of 175 adolescents (51% boys, mean age = 16.01 years) completed questionnaires once before and twice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Piecewise growth modeling examined the acute (7 weeks) and persistent (8 months) effects of COVID-19 on depressive symptoms, and differences across sex and social connectedness. ResultsSignificant increases in depressive symptoms followed pandemic onset for boys and girls. However, this increase was earlier and more pronounced among girls than boys, whose depression only increased significantly during the persistent period and to a lesser degree. Trajectories of depression were influenced by loneliness and social connections. LimitationsMost participants had economic stability and minimal exposure to the virus. Exacerbation of depressive symptoms may be more severe in higher risk populations. ConclusionsAdolescent depression levels have increased during COVID-19, and are higher for girls and those who are lonely. Enhanced screening and management for adolescent depression and social connectedness could play a critical role in mitigating the negative mental health fallout of COVID-19 and future pandemics within this population.
Highlights
Considered the most serious global public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic, COVID-19 has infected over 231 million people at the time of this study (October 2021), 4.7 million of whom have died (WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, 2021)
Existing literature suggests that the impact of stress on functioning can be more pronounced when the experience is prolonged (Goldfarb, 2020), but in comparison to research on acute collective stressors, there is very little research on how extended stressors like a pandemic impact mental health over time
In response to the ongoing public health emergency perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to answer critical questions about its acute and persistent effects on adolescent depressive symptoms
Summary
Considered the most serious global public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic, COVID-19 has infected over 231 million people at the time of this study (October 2021), 4.7 million of whom have died (WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, 2021). Cross-sectional research suggests that adolescents are experiencing unique pandemic-related stress (American Psychological Association, 2020; Ellis et al, 2020; Magson et al, 2020), higher levels of stress than other age groups (American Psychological Association, 2020), and increased prevalence of multiple mental health disorders (Guessoum et al, 2020). The present study examined COVID19′s impact on adolescent depression and possible influences of different domains of social connectedness (loneliness, social media use, social video game time, degree of social activity participation). Enhanced screening and management for adolescent depression and social connectedness could play a critical role in mitigating the negative mental health fallout of COVID-19 and future pandemics within this population
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