Older Adolescents Who Did or Did Not Experience COVID-19 Symptoms: Associations with Mental Health, Risk Perception and Social Connection

Abstract

After a decrease in detected cases in the summer, Europe faced the emergence of a second wave of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Few studies have investigated adolescents, who may constitute a target group with possible lower compliance to public health measures, particularly the social distancing measures. A total sample of 492 participants was included in the study, and the ages of the participants ranged from 18–24 years. According to the hypothesis of our study, the sample was divided into two groups: those who experienced COVID-19 symptoms and those who did not experience COVID-19 symptoms. Demographic characteristics, knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors related to COVID-19 were investigated with ad hoc items; in addition, mood disorders, self-efficacy, and social connectedness were explored. Our results showed significant differences in the variables of risk perception, self-efficacy, and measures of belongingness among older adolescents who did or did not experience COVID-19 symptoms. In this period, adolescents experienced unprecedented disruptions in their daily lives, leading them to isolation and loneliness. Compliance with restrictive measures is considered both a proactive behavior and a social responsibility, especially if supported by prosocial reasons to prevent others from getting sick; therefore, this must be the focus of raising awareness of anti-COVID-19 compliance among adolescents.

Internal and External Motivations and Risk Perception toward COVID-19 Vaccination in Adolescents in the U.S.

“…This aligns with PMT, HMB, and previous research associating threat appraisal with vaccine acceptance for both the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as well as other pandemic preventative behaviors [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 16 , 21 ]. This relationship is also consistent with models of adolescent risk taking, where adolescents tend to engage more in risky behaviors when perceived to be at lower risk of an outcome [ 31 , 32 , 45 ]. This study further builds on the literature by demonstrating a greater difference in risk perceptions between hesitant and non-hesitant participants than that of vaccinated and unvaccinated participants.…”

“…Given lagging vaccination rate in adolescents and increased variant transmissibility, understanding adolescent motivators is especially relevant [ 28 , 29 ]. Extant health behavior models have been applied to adolescents’ willingness to participate in other COVID-19 preventative behaviors, such as mask wearing and social distancing [ 30 , 31 , 32 ], yet there is a lack of research empirically investigating adolescents’ drivers of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [ 14 , 27 ]. Among the relatively limited research on this age population, earlier studies often surveyed parents about their children and rarely directly queried adolescents to obtain their attitudes and perceptions [ 33 ].…”

Examining the Impact of School Esports Program Participation on Student Health and Psychological Development

“…This allowed only for virtual meetings and prohibited face-to-face meetings with peers, teachers, family, or friends. Several studies have found that lockdowns resulted in increased isolation and loneliness (e.g., Burrai et al, 2021 ). Loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown has been associated with several negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and suicide, and has remained elevated despite the easing of lockdowns (Killgore et al, 2020 ).…”

A qualitative study of adolescents and young adults’ experience and perceived needs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…AYAs with self-perceived risk and desire to protect others were significantly associated with higher adherence to preventive measures [10] . Likewise, higher perceived self-efficacy to take preventive measures was associated with a greater perceived severity of the COVID-19 disease [11] . Factors associated with higher risk perception included greater disease knowledge, presence of chronic disease, and use of immunosuppressants [10] .…”