Social isolation, mental health, and use of digital interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally representative survey

Abstract

Background Public health measures to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates may have negative psychosocial consequences in youth. Digital interventions may help to mitigate these effects. We investigated the associations between social isolation, COVID-19-related cognitive preoccupation, worries, and anxiety, objective social risk indicators, and psychological distress, as well as use of, and attitude toward, mobile health (mHealth) interventions in youth. Methods Data were collected as part of the “Mental Health And Innovation During COVID-19 Survey”—a cross-sectional panel study including a representative sample of individuals aged 16–25 years (N = 666; Mage = 21.3; assessment period: May 5, 2020 to May 16, 2020). Results Overall, 38% of youth met criteria for moderate or severe psychological distress. Social isolation worries and anxiety, and objective risk indicators were associated with psychological distress, with evidence of dose–response relationships for some of these associations. For instance, psychological distress was progressively more likely to occur as levels of social isolation increased (reporting “never” as reference group: “occasionally”: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 9.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.3–19.1, p < 0.001; “often”: aOR 22.2, CI 9.8–50.2, p < 0.001; “very often”: aOR 42.3, CI 14.1–126.8, p < 0.001). There was evidence that psychological distress, worries, and anxiety were associated with a positive attitude toward using mHealth interventions, whereas psychological distress, worries, and anxiety were associated with actual use. Conclusions Public health measures during pandemics may be associated with poor mental health outcomes in youth. Evidence-based digital interventions may help mitigate the negative psychosocial impact without risk of viral infection given there is an objective need and subjective demand.

The effects of a novel, transdiagnostic, hybrid ecological momentary intervention for improving resilience in youth (EMIcompass): study protocol for an exploratory randomized controlled trial

“…Ecological translation of compassionfocused intervention components to individuals' daily life through an EMI offers new avenues for tangible, indicated prevention strategies delivering real-world and real-time interventions that are easy accessible by youth [116]. In fact, findings from a recent, nationally representative survey suggest that psychological distress, social isolation, lack of company, and worrying during the COVID-19 pandemic were highly prevalent in youth and, interestingly, associated with the current use of, and a positive attitude toward, digital interventions [33]. the current study, we use EMA items that have been previously used and validated to measure moment-to-moment variation in stress/negative affect, with considerable within-person variability having been observed for these items in several EMA studies [43,95,121] , interindividual differences in within-person variability as well as general response tendencies may influence the number of triggered EMI tasks and, hence, further research is needed to optimize and personalize the assignment of EMI components, e.g., by using methods of artificial intelligence, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) in particular [122].…”

“…the current study, we use EMA items that have been previously used and validated to measure moment-to-moment variation in stress/negative affect, with considerable within-person variability having been observed for these items in several EMA studies [43,95,121] , interindividual differences in within-person variability as well as general response tendencies may influence the number of triggered EMI tasks and, hence, further research is needed to optimize and personalize the assignment of EMI components, e.g., by using methods of artificial intelligence, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) in particular [122]. So for example, we currently aim to apply RNNs in an ongoing study personalized digital mental health promotion and prevention in youth [33]. In addition, clinical staging models of severe mental disorder require further scrutiny, including heterogeneity in phenomenology, course and outcome within individual stages [5,123,124].…”

“…Therefore, EMIs are amenable to enhancing access to mental health services for youth depending on their needs and preferences. Indeed, youth -as the generation of digital natives -already make regular use of mHealth apps and are more likely to do so when experiencing current psychological distress [33]. However, most mHealth apps that are currently available in major app stores are not evidence-based, often use problematic data sharing and privacy practices, and sometimes contain harmful content [34][35][36].…”

Feasibility and Effectiveness Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Antigenic Tests in Mass Screening of a Pediatric Population and Correlation with the Kinetics of Viral Loads

“…Lockdown decreased environmental exposures and the incidence of seasonal infections [8,9]. Moreover, protracted and forced home-stay may have risen the accesses in the PED for functional affections, especially in adolescents [10].…”

Use of a Guided Imagery Mobile App (See Me Serene) to Reduce COVID-19–Related Stress: Pilot Feasibility Study

“…The vast majority of Americans across age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status own smartphones; and of those, most use mobile apps [32,33]. Several studies have shown that people experiencing stress are more likely to use meditation apps (eg, Calm) [34][35][36][37]. Using a simple mHealth app to deliver guided imagery audio files has the potential for simulating outdoor experiences for people experiencing lockdowns and social isolation, as well as for individuals who are homebound due to other reasons.…”