The COVID ‐19 pandemic and adolescents' and young adults' experiences at school: A systematic narrative review

The pandemic lockdowns interrupted critical developmental experiences especially for adolescents and emerging adults engaged in the challenge of constructing identities. This commentary focuses on four review articles that document both negative and positive consequences of the pandemic on family, peer, school, and community interactions. I argue that worldwide experiences of these interruptions led to a shared generational experience of disconnection and isolation, that, paradoxically, creates a shared generational identity. The COVID‐19 generation shares a view of the world as unsafe, unpredictable, and unfair; yet, at the same time, they are perhaps more oriented toward social justice. Generational identities formed at pivotal developmental moments continue to reverberate across the life course. How these formative experiences of the pandemic will continue to influence the life course of the COVID‐19 generation remains to be seen.

The COVID generation: A commentary on how the pandemic altered adolescents' life course

Fivush

2024

Commentary: The COVID‐19 pandemic and its impact on adolescent development: Embracing a more ecological perspective

Wiium

2024

To assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on young people's functioning, relationships, and well‐being, four systematic reviews were put together to shed light on school experiences, family and peer relationships, and civic engagement during the pandemic. The reviews presented research findings on the protective role of several personal and contextual resources including intrinsic motivation, self‐efficacy, family, school, peer, and community support, as well as the harming effect of risk factors, such as poor mental health, COVID‐19‐related stressors, and technological challenges, thus highlighting the significant role of both personal and contextual factors in adolescent development and well‐being. Equally important, the research findings collectively suggested an ecological perspective of the determining factors, although the focus was largely on factors in immediate contexts (family, school, peers, and local community). Adopting a more holistic approach that also considers factors in other ecological contexts (e.g., partnership between immediate contexts, the influence of cultural values and norms along with educational and developmental transitions) can be crucial in addressing the specific needs of young people across diverse contexts and cultures during a pandemic and in general. In addressing their needs, the ever‐growing digital space of young people can be utilized to connect them to services and supportive networks in their contexts including distal ones.

Commentary: Revisiting developmental science research practices during a global crisis

Magis‐Weinberg,

Gray

2024

The effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on adolescents were extensive, touching aspects of their lives such as those reviewed in this Special Section : school experiences, family relationships, peer relationships, and civic engagement. In parallel with these effects on individuals, the fields of developmental and psychological science were shaken up by this global crisis. The accelerated transition to online data collection and collaboration presented opportunities to expand research on adolescence, breaking down many physical and social barriers to participation and sparking methodological innovation. Yet, this crisis also shed light on the global digital divides and the uneven impacts of the pandemic across the research community. This commentary reflects on the influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the methods and methodologies of developmental science, the challenges and opportunities it surfaced, and the populations included and omitted in this period of research. We integrate reflections on how the pandemic shaped our own research and on how the pandemic has shaped the future of developmental science.