Autoren:
Dr. Simon Foster | Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie (KJPP), Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Universität Zürich | Switzerland
Dr. Natalia Estévez-Lamorte | La Source, School of Nursing Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland | Switzerland
Prof. Dr. med. Susanne Walitza | Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie (KJPP), Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Universität Zürich | Switzerland
Shota Dzemaili | La Source, School of Nursing Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland | Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Meichun Mohler-Kuo | Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie (KJPP), Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Universität Zürich | Switzerland
Background: The large-scale disruption of normal life brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be particularly challenging for adolescents and their mental well-being. In a large, national sample of adolescents in Switzerland, prospective associations of perceived COVID-19-related stress, coping strategies, and mental health status during the first lockdown and one year later were examined.
Methods: A nation-wide self-report on-line survey was completed by 553 adolescents (age-range 12-18 years in 2021) in the summers of 2020 and 2021, assessing perceived COVID-19-related stressors, coping strategies, and symptoms of various mental health problems including depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
Results: In general, girls perceived more COVID-19 related stress than boys and adolescents’ reported less stress one year after the lockdown, with the exception of ‘trouble getting medical care or mental health services’ and ‘challenges at home or with others ‘ among girls. ‘Trouble getting medical care or mental health services‘ was associated with mental health problems in girls, whereas ‘challenges at home or with others’ were significantly associated with mental health problems in both genders. COVID-19-related stress during the lockdown period in 2020 and pre-existing psychiatric problem longitudinally predicted symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD and ODD in summer 2021. Using cognitive restructuring as a coping strategy was associated with less anxiety and depression symptoms, while negative coping was associated with more anxiety, depression, and ADHD symptoms and avoidant coping was associated with more depression and ADHD symptoms.
Conclusions: COVID-19-related stress during the lockdown period in 2020 predicted mental health outcomes one year later. Girls appear to have been more affected by the pandemic than boys and youths with pre-existing psychiatric problems appear to be an especially vulnerable group. School and healthcare professionals should support to identify high-risk adolescents characterized by resignation and negative and avoidant coping strategies and help youths to use more active and positive coping strategies.