COVID-19 Pandemic and the Second Lockdown: The 3rd Wave of the Disease Through the Voice of Youth

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Abstract

Around the beginning of the 2021 new year, Europe’s COVID-19 third wave led many leaders to implement a new lockdown period, with the teaching–learning system returning to the online method once more. The present study aimed to understand the health consequences for adolescents and young adults (AYA) during the third wave’s lockdown. This mixed-method study included 592 participants between 16 and 24 years old ( M = 19.01, SD = 2.32), with the majority being female (70.9%) and students (82.3%) at high school (55.1%) or university (44.9%). Negative impacts are highlighted in the categories: relationships, physical activity (as well aseno impacts), screen time and academic stress; and no impactsin health and well-being, leisure activities, sleep, diet, academic performance and relationships with teachers and peers. Overall, when compared to the opposite gender, girls report more negative impacts on leisure activities and diet, although more positive impacts on diet, as well as on academic stress; boys stand out in the negative consequences on substance use. At the academic level, students in higher education show more negative impacts on relationships, leisure activities, sleep, diet, screen time and relationships with teachers and peers. Enlightened about the impacts of the second lockdown on their lives, and showing signs of “pandemic fatigue”, this study draws attention to the need to associate psychological support measures with those implemented to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Most cited references 33

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Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19

Maria Loades, Eleanor Chatburn, Nina Higson-Sweeney … (2020)

Objective Disease containment of COVID-19 has necessitated widespread social isolation. We aimed to establish what is known about how loneliness and disease containment measures impact on the mental health in children and adolescents. Method For this rapid review, we searched MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, and Web of Science for articles published between 01/01/1946 and 03/29/2020. 20% of articles were double screened using pre-defined criteria and 20% of data was double extracted for quality assurance. Results 83 articles (80 studies) met inclusion criteria. Of these, 63 studies reported on the impact of social isolation and loneliness on the mental health of previously healthy children and adolescents (n=51,576; mean age 15.3) 61 studies were observational; 18 were longitudinal and 43 cross sectional studies assessing self-reported loneliness in healthy children and adolescents. One of these studies was a retrospective investigation after a pandemic. Two studies evaluated interventions. Studies had a high risk of bias although longitudinal studies were of better methodological quality. Social isolation and loneliness increased the risk of depression, and possibly anxiety at the time loneliness was measured and between 0.25 to 9 years later. Duration of loneliness was more strongly correlated with mental health symptoms than intensity of loneliness. Conclusion Children and adolescents are probably more likely to experience high rates of depression and probably anxiety during and after enforced isolation ends. This may increase as enforced isolation continues. Clinical services should offer preventative support and early intervention where possible and be prepared for an increase in mental health problems.

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Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review with Recommendations.

Dr Singh, Assistant Roy, Clinical Psychology Trainee Miss Krittika Sinha … (2020)

HIGHLIGHTS • We conducted a narrative review of articles on mental health aspects of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. • Most studies are cross-sectional in nature. Findings show that quality and magnitude of impact is determined by vulnerability factors like developmental age, educational status, pre-existing mental health condition, being economically underprivileged or being quarantined due to infection or fear of infection. • There is a crucial requirement for planning longitudinal and developmental studies, and evidence based elaborative strategies to cater to mental health needs of the vulnerable children and adolescents during and after the pandemic by mobilising direct and digital collaborative networks.

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Risk and Protective Factors for Prospective Changes in Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Natasha R. Magson, Justin Freeman, Ronald M. Rapee … (2020)

The restrictions put in place to contain the COVID-19 virus have led to widespread social isolation, impacting mental health worldwide. These restrictions may be particularly difficult for adolescents, who rely heavily on their peer connections for emotional support. However, there has been no longitudinal research examining the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents. This study addresses this gap by investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ mental health, and moderators of change, as well as assessing the factors perceived as causing the most distress. Two hundred and forty eight adolescents (M age = 14.4; 51% girls; 81.8% Caucasian) were surveyed over two time points; in the 12 months leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak (T1), and again two months following the implementation of government restrictions and online learning (T2). Online surveys assessed depressive symptoms, anxiety, and life satisfaction at T1 and T2, and participants’ schooling, peer and family relationships, social connection, media exposure, COVID-19 related stress, and adherence to government stay-at-home directives at T2 only. In line with predictions, adolescents experienced significant increases in depressive symptoms and anxiety, and a significant decrease in life satisfaction from T1 to T2, which was particularly pronounced among girls. Moderation analyses revealed that COVID-19 related worries, online learning difficulties, and increased conflict with parents predicted increases in mental health problems from T1 to T2, whereas adherence to stay-at-home orders and feeling socially connected during the COVID-19 lockdown protected against poor mental health. This study provides initial longitudinal evidence for the decline of adolescent’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest that adolescents are more concerned about the government restrictions designed to contain the spread of the virus, than the virus itself, and that those concerns are associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, and decreased life satisfaction.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Cátia Branquinho: catiasofiabranquinho@gmail.com

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Child Indic Res

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Child Indic Res

Title: Child Indicators Research

Publisher: Springer Netherlands (Dordrecht )

ISSN (Print): 1874-897X

ISSN (Electronic): 1874-8988

Publication date (Electronic): 29 September 2021

Pages: 1-18

Affiliations

[1 ]GRID grid.9983.b, ISNI 0000 0001 2181 4263, Aventura Social Project, Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, , University of Lisbon, ; Oeiras, Portugal

[2 ]GRID grid.9983.b, ISNI 0000 0001 2181 4263, Institute of Environmental Health, Medicine Faculty, , University of Lisbon, ; Lisbon, Portugal

Article

Publisher ID: 9865

DOI: 10.1007/s12187-021-09865-6

PMC ID: 8479493

PubMed ID: 34603556

SO-VID: cc3eabee-00ec-41d5-a713-5559f36f6653

License:

This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

History

Date accepted : 19 September 2021

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