Adolescent well‐being amid the COVID‐19 pandemic: Are girls struggling more than boys?

Abstract

Background: Differential effects of the coronavirus SARS- pandemic and associated public restrictions on adolescent girls and boys are emerging but have not been elucidated. This study examined gender differences across broad indicators of adolescent well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland, and explored potential explanations for these differences. Methods:In total, 523 youth (56.5% girls) born in Iceland in 2004 completed measures on mental health problems (depressive symptoms, anger and suicide attempts) and measures designed for this study to assess broad indicators of adolescent well-being (e.g., day-to-day life, academic performance, family and peer relationships, and mental and physical health) and behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health problems during the pandemic were compared to expected scores based on nationwide ratings of same-aged peers in 2018.Results: Although both boys and girls appeared affected, girls reported a greater negative impact across all the broad indicators of well-being and behavioral change during COVID-19 than boys, and their depressive symptoms were above and beyond the expected nationwide scores (t(1514) = 4.80, p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.315). Higher depressive symptoms were associated with increased passive social media use and decreased connecting with family members via telephone or social media among girls, and decreased sleeping and increased online gaming alone among boys. Concern about others contracting COVID-19, changes in daily and school routines, and not seeing friends in person were among the primary contributors to poor mental health identified by youth, particularly girls. Conclusions:Adolescents were broadly negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions; however, this negative impact was more pronounced in girls. The findings suggest that a steady routine and remaining socially connected may help youth cope with the uncertainty and social restrictions associated with a pandemic. Moreover, healthcare providers, teachers, and other professionals should pay close attention to depressive symptoms among girls during a pandemic.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The Predictors of Psychological Well-Being in Lithuanian Adolescents after the Second Prolonged Lockdown Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

“…It was found that adolescent girls had lower well-being and a higher risk of depression during the pandemic. These results are in line with the most recent studies [2,3,12,26] as well as with most of the pre-pandemic large-scale epidemiological studies [11,39]. Moreover, female youngsters in our study were less physically active and reported a longer duration of sedentary behavior, which was also prominent in other studies showing that girls in adolescence usually exhibited less healthy lifestyle also during pre-pandemic times [11,22].…”

“…Similarly, recreational screen time and overall sedentary behavior had significantly increased during the lockdown due to COVID-19 [ 13 , 23 , 25 ], and it was associated with more psychosomatic complaints, more depressive symptoms, and lower life satisfaction both in pandemic [ 13 , 26 ] and pre-pandemic [ 17 ].…”

“…Importantly, Ellis, Dumas, and Forbes (2020) revealed that more time connecting to friends virtually during the pandemic was related to greater depression in adolescents, but not related to loneliness [ 12 ]. Halldorsdottir et al (2021) have also found passive social media use was related to higher depressive symptoms among adolescent girls [ 26 ].…”

“…Finally, the individual factors such as female gender and neurodevelopmental adversities and/or preexisting health problems were quite unambiguously related to lower psychological well-being during pandemic and pre-pandemic. The female gender was found to be associated not only with mental health problems, but also more time spent sedentarily and less physical activity [ 2 , 11 , 17 , 19 , 26 , 31 , 32 ]. Preexisting health problems [ 1 ] and vulnerability due to previous and continuous emotional problems pose additional challenges for the youngsters, especially if the availability of support at schools and at healthcare systems is restricted [ 5 , 7 ].…”

Developing a Brief Tele-Psychotherapy Model for COVID-19 Patients and Their Family Members

“…Identity reorientation following the traumatic experience ( Halldorsdottir et al, 2021 ). In the younger age group, the theme of identity in development clearly emerges.…”