Quaranteens: Pre-pandemic relationship quality and changes in adolescent internalizing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This preregistered longitudinal study examined changes in adolescents' depressive and anxiety symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using latent piece-wise growth models. It also assessed whether perceived support from and conflict with mothers, fathers, siblings, and best friends could explain heterogeneity in these change patterns. 192 Dutch ethnic majority adolescents (Mean age 14.3 years; 68.8% female) completed online questionnaires every two weeks for a year (November 2019 to October 2020), which included a pre-pandemic, a lockdown, and a re-opening phase. During lockdown, depressive symptoms but not anxiety symptoms increased, and during re-opening, depressive and anxiety symptoms decreased. Heterogeneity in depressive and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic was not explained by pre-pandemic family and friend support and conflict.