Connections during Crisis: Adolescents’ social dynamics and mental health during COVID-19

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period for social development, which COVID-19 has dramatically altered. Quarantined youths had limited in-person interactions with peers. The present study used an intensive longitudinal design to investigate changes in interpersonal dynamics and mental health during COVID-19. Specifically, we investigated whether the associations between different social contexts – i.e., “spillover” – changed during COVID-19, and whether changes in social interactions during COVID-19 was associated with changes in depressive symptoms. Approximately one year prior to the onset of COVID-19, 139 youths reported depressive symptoms and daily interactions with parents, siblings, and friends, every day for 21 days via online questionnaires. Shortly after schools closed due to COVID-19, 115 of these youths completed a similar 28-day diary. Analyses included 112 youths (62 girls, 73% Caucasian; Mage=11.77, range 8-15 in Wave 1) who completed at least 13 diary days in each data wave. Our results show that younger adolescents experienced significant decreases in negative and positive interactions with friends, whereas older adolescents showed significant decreases in negative interactions with friends and significant increases in positive interactions with siblings. As predicted, within-day spillover of positive interactions and person-level association of negative interactions increased within the family during COVID-19, whereas within-day spillover of positive interactions between family and friends decreased. We also found a dramatic increase in depressive symptoms. More negative interactions and fewer positive interactions with family members were associated with changes in depressive symptoms. Our study sheds light on how youths’ social development may be impacted by COVID-19.

Examining socioeconomic disparities in changes in adolescent mental health before and during different phases of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

“…Therefore, these measures may have impacted young people's ability to fulfil their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and, in turn, their mental health. Our findings are in line with the majority of previous studies that revealed a decline in adolescent mental health when comparing a pre‐COVID‐19 assessment with one assessment during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Breaux et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2021; De France et al., 2021; Gadassi Polack et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Magson et al., 2021; Munasinghe et al., 2020; Rogers et al., 2021; Thorisdottir et al., 2021).…”

“…The available longitudinal studies on this topic mostly compared mental health assessments before and during the initial COVID‐19 phase. Six US studies, one Australian, one Icelandic, and one Swedish study revealed increases in different indicators of adolescent mental health problems when comparing a pre‐COVID‐19 assessment with an assessment during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Breaux et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2021; De France et al., 2021; Gadassi Polack et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2020; Magson et al., 2021; Munasinghe et al., 2020; Rogers et al., 2021; Thorisdottir et al., 2021). In contrast, a Dutch and a Norwegian study revealed fairly stable levels of mental health problems when comparing a pre‐COVID‐19 assessment with an assessment during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Achterberg et al., 2021; Burdzovic Andreas & Brunborg, 2021).…”

Connections during crisis: Adolescents’ social dynamics and mental health during COVID-19.

“…: 2000022492; Title: “Emotion Regulation in Risk for Depression”). Study materials can be accessed online (Gadassi Polack, Sened, et al, 2021).…”