Dataset Information

Tracking Mental Wellbeing of Dutch Adolescents During the First Year of the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Adolescents might be susceptible to the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown. We assessed changes in mental wellbeing throughout the first year of the pandemic and compared these with prepandemic levels.

Methods

This five-wave prospective study among Dutch adolescents aged 12-17 years used data collected before the pandemic (n = 224) (T0), in May (T1), July (T2), and October 2020 (T3), and in February 2021 (T4). Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between stringency of the lockdown with mental wellbeing.

Results

Adolescents had a lower life satisfaction during the first full lockdown (T1) [adjusted β: -0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.58 to -0.13], during the partial lockdown (T3) (adjusted β: -0.37, 95% CI: -0.63 to -0.12), and during the second full lockdown (T4) (adjusted β: -0.79, 95% CI: -1.07 to -0.52) compared to before the pandemic (T0). Adolescents reported more internalizing symptoms during only the second full lockdown (T4) (adjusted β: 2.58, 95% CI: 0.41-4.75). During the pandemic [at T1 (adjusted β: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.20-0.38), T2 (adjusted β: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.26-0.46), T3 (adjusted β: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.22-0.45), and T4 (adjusted β: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.07-0.34)], adolescents reported a better psychosomatic health, partly attributable to less trouble falling asleep (p < .01).

Discussion

The COVID-19 lockdown measures have had both a negative and positive impact on mental wellbeing of Dutch adolescents. However, mental wellbeing was most impacted during the second full lockdown compared to before the pandemic.

SUBMITTER: van der Laan SEI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9217158 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Tracking Mental Wellbeing of Dutch Adolescents During the First Year of the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study.

van der Laan Sabine E I SEI Lenters Virissa C VC Finkenauer Catrin C van Harmelen Anne-Laura AL van der Ent Cornelis K CK Nijhof Sanne L SL

The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 20220622 4

<h4>Purpose</h4>Adolescents might be susceptible to the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown. We assessed changes in mental wellbeing throughout the first year of the pandemic and compared these with prepandemic levels.<h4>Methods</h4>This five-wave prospective study among Dutch adolescents aged 12-17 years used data collected before the pandemic (n = 224) (T0), in May (T1), July (T2), and October 2020 (T3), and in February 2021 (T4). Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the associat ...[more]

PMID: 35941018

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Project description:Background: The lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has been called a crisis in mental health, and adolescents may have been among the most affected. Comparing the first period of societal lockdown in spring 2020 to periods going back to 2014 using a rich cross-sectional dataset based on repeated surveys, we explore the potential changes in self-reported mental well-being across sociodemographic groups among Norway's adolescents. Methods: Norway closed schools and implemented strict restrictions in March 2020; an electronic questionnaire survey was distributed to lower secondary school students in Trøndelag county (N = 2,443) in May 2020. Results were compared with similar surveys conducted annually in the same county dating back to 2014. Logistic regression models were applied to investigate potential changes in depressive symptoms, loneliness, and quality of life and life satisfaction, and to detect possible differences in the impact of lockdown between the genders and socioeconomic groups. Results: The prevalence of boys and girls reporting high quality of life (43-34%; 23-16%) and life satisfaction (91-80%; 82-69%) decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic. For girls only, lockdown was associated with higher odds for reporting high depressive symptoms. As expected, the least privileged socioeconomic groups showed the greatest psychological distress. However, our trend analyses provided no evidence that the socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress (according to prevalence of high depressive symptoms or loneliness) changed substantial in any direction during the first wave of the pandemic [between the pre-pandemic and inter-pandemic periods]. Conclusion: Adolescents are vulnerable, and interventions should provide them with mental health support during crises such as societal lockdown. In particular, the social and health policy, public health, and further research should target these least privileged groups.

Dataset Information

Tracking Mental Wellbeing of Dutch Adolescents During the First Year of the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study.

Purpose

Methods

Results

Discussion

Publications

Tracking Mental Wellbeing of Dutch Adolescents During the First Year of the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study.

Similar Datasets

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