Youth Mental Health Outcomes up to Two Years After SARS-CoV-2 Infection Long-COVID or Long-Pandemic Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

PurposeYouth mental distress has substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is unclear if mental symptoms are directly related to SARS-CoV-2 infection or to social restrictions. We aimed to investigate mental health outcomes in infected versus uninfected adolescents, for up to two years after an index polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. MethodsA retrospective cohort study, based on electronic health records from a large nationally representative Israeli health fund, among adolescents aged 12–17 years with a PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021. Infected and uninfected individuals were matched by age, sex, test date, sector, and socioeconomic status. Cox regression was used to derive hazard ratios (HRs) for mental health outcomes within two years from PCR test for infected versus uninfected individuals, while accounting for pre-existing psychiatric history. External validation was performed on UK primary care data. ResultsAmong 146,067 PCR-tested adolescents, 24,009 were positive and 22,354 were matched with negative adolescents. SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly associated with reduced risks for dispensation of antidepressants (HR 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66–0.83), diagnoses of anxiety (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71–0.95), depression (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.53–0.80), and stress (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69–0.92). Similar results were obtained in the validation dataset. DiscussionThis large, population-based study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infection is not associated with elevated risk for mental distress in adolescents. Our findings highlight the importance of taking a holistic view on adolescents' mental health during the pandemic, with consideration of both SARS-CoV-2 infection and response measures.