Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology ( IF 5.077 ) Pub Date : 2022-03-08 , DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2042697 Rebecca A Schwartz-Mette 1 , Natasha Duell 2 , Hannah R Lawrence 3 , Emma G Balkind 3
ABSTRACT
Objective
Widespread concern exists about the impacts of COVID-19 and related public health safety measures (e.g., school closures) on adolescent mental health. Emerging research documents correlates and trajectories of adolescent distress, but further work is needed to identify additional vulnerability factors that explain increased psychopathology during the pandemic. The current study examined whether COVID-19-related loneliness and health anxiety (assessed in March 2020) predicted increased depressive symptoms, frequency of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicide risk from pre-pandemic (late January/early February 2020) to June 2020.
Method
Participants were 362 middle and high school adolescents in rural Maine (M age = 15.01 years; 63.4% female; 76.4% White). Data were collected during a time in which state-level COVID-19 restrictions were high and case counts were relatively low. Self-reports assessed psychopathology symptoms, and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to capture COVID-19-related distress during the initial days of school closures.
Results
Loneliness predicted higher depressive symptoms for all adolescents, higher NSSI frequency for adolescents with low pre-pandemic frequency (but less frequent NSSI for adolescents with high pre-pandemic frequency), and higher suicide risk for adolescents with higher pre-pandemic risk. Health anxiety predicted higher NSSI frequency for adolescents with high pre-pandemic frequency, and secondary analyses suggested that this pattern may depend on adolescents’ gender identity.
Conclusions
Results underscore the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent mental health, with benefits for some but largely negative impacts for most. Implications for caretakers, educators, and clinicians invested in adolescent mental health are discussed.
中文翻译:
COVID-19 压力影响美国东北部农村地区青少年的抑郁症状、NSSI 和自杀风险
摘要
客观的
人们广泛关注 COVID-19 和相关公共卫生安全措施(例如停课)对青少年心理健康的影响。新兴的研究文件与青少年痛苦的相关性和轨迹相关,但还需要进一步的工作来确定其他脆弱因素,以解释大流行期间精神病理学的增加。当前的研究检验了与 COVID-19 相关的孤独感和健康焦虑(2020 年 3 月评估)是否会预测大流行前(1 月底/2 月初)抑郁症状、非自杀性自伤 (NSSI) 频率和自杀风险的增加2020年)至2020年6月。
方法
参与者为缅因州农村地区的 362 名初高中青少年(男性年龄 = 15.01 岁;63.4% 为女性;76.4% 为白人)。数据是在州级 COVID-19 限制较高且病例数相对较低的时期收集的。自我报告评估了精神病理学症状,并使用生态瞬时评估 (EMA) 来捕捉学校关闭初期与 COVID-19 相关的痛苦。
结果
孤独预示着所有青少年都会出现更高的抑郁症状,对于大流行前频率较低的青少年来说,NSSI 频率会更高(但对于大流行前频率较高的青少年来说,NSSI 频率会较低),对于大流行前风险较高的青少年来说,孤独风险会较高。健康焦虑预示着大流行前频率较高的青少年 NSSI 频率较高,二次分析表明这种模式可能取决于青少年的性别认同。
结论
结果强调了 COVID-19 对青少年心理健康的影响,对一些人有好处,但对大多数人来说主要是负面影响。讨论了对青少年心理健康投资的看护者、教育工作者和临床医生的影响。