Adolescents’ symptoms of anxiety and depression before and during the Covid-19 outbreak – A prospective population-based study of teenagers in Norway

Abstract

Background Lockdown policies related to the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has potential negative consequences for mental health in youths. Methods Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed in 3 572 adolescents, age 13 to 16 using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-10), in a representative longitudinal survey of Norwegian youths between February 2019 (T1) and June 2020 (T2). Predictors for symptom change were analysed with linear mixed-effects models. Findings Overall, clinical levels of anxiety and depression increased slightly from 5.5% at T1 to 6.3% at T2; Chi square 224.4 ( df = 1), p<.001. However, the observed change was driven by the increase in age between assessments. Being a girl, having pre-existing mental health problems, and living in a single-parent household at T1, predicted higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms at T2 (p<.001). Living in a single-parent household was associated with a significant increase in symptoms, also when age was controlled for (p<.001). Living in a poor family however, or having a history of maltreatment, was associated with a significantly lower increase in symptoms (p<.001). Interpretation Anxiety and depressive symptoms increased slightly in Norwegian youths between 2019 and 2020, but this change seemed to be driven by increase in age rather than pandemic-related measures. Symptom levels were unevenly distributed across demographic groups both before and during the pandemic outbreak, indicating that health disparities persist for adolescents in risk groups during a pandemic . Health inequities related to living conditions need to be addressed in future action plans, and intensified measures to mitigate inequities are needed. Funding The study was funded by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Adolescents and Family affairs (Bufdir).

A nationwide study of adolescent psychosocial well-being one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…However, the increase of about 2.13 units on a scale from 0 to 100 shows that the effect is of a moderate magnitude and seems to be considerably smaller than what has been found in studies on adults. The rather moderate increases are in accordance with ndings from longitudinal studies on adolescents from the beginning of the pandemic that observed rather small changes in mental health problems 3,6 . Interestingly, contrary to expectations, we found no adverse effect of the pandemic on adolescents' loneliness.…”

“…However, these longitudinal studies do not disentangle effects of the pandemic from normative aging processes in adolescence. To illustrate, a Norwegian longitudinal study indicated that increases in depression and anxiety during the pandemic were caused by adolescents getting older, rather than by effects of the pandemic 6 . Large-scale repeated cross-sectional studies are therefore important to provide more information about the effect of the pandemic on adolescent mental health.…”

“…Third, most studies so far have been based on small-sized or convenience samples 4,5 , whereas there is a lack of large-scale, population-based studies that include information about geographical variations in infection rates and restriction measures and their association to adolescent psychosocial well-being. Fourth, although some studies examined adolescents' psychosocial well-being during the initial months of the pandemic 4,6,7 , the long-term effects are unknown.…”

Depressive symptoms, mental wellbeing, and substance use among adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland: a longitudinal, population-based study

“…Furthermore, the effect of the pandemic on mental health and substance use is likely to be more pronounced among other subgroups, such as youth living in poverty or with preexisting mental health conditions. With research rapidly emerging on these important issues, 2,3,6,29 more targeted interventions can be developed to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on adolescent mental health.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions implemented to prevent and contain its transmission have caused widespread disruptions in the lives of adolescents and their families. 1 Initial findings on adolescent mental health during COVID-19 indicate cause for concern, with study findings suggesting an increase in depressive symptoms [2][3][4][5][6] (particularly in adolescent girls 2,[7][8][9] ) and alcohol consumption. 10 However, the rapidly accumulating evidence on the effect of COVID-19 on adolescent mental health has been limited by use of convenience samples and inadequate baseline measures to accurately capture the pandemic's unfolding impact.…”