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. 2022 Oct;52(14):3222-3230.
doi: 10.1017/S0033291720005358. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

Increases in depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mariah T Hawes  1 , Aline K Szenczy  1 , Daniel N Klein  1 , Greg Hajcak  2 , Brady D Nelson  1
Affiliations

Increases in depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mariah T Hawes et al. Psychol Med. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] pandemic has introduced extraordinary life changes and stress, particularly in adolescents and young adults. Initial reports suggest that depression and anxiety are elevated during COVID-19, but no prior study has explored changes at the within-person level. The current study explored changes in depression and anxiety symptoms from before the pandemic to soon after it first peaked in Spring 2020 in a sample of adolescents and young adults (N = 451) living in Long Island, New York, an early epicenter of COVID-19 in the U.S.

Methods: Depression (Children's Depression Inventory) and anxiety symptoms (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Symptoms) were assessed between December 2014 and July 2019, and, along with COVID-19 experiences, symptoms were re-assessed between March 27th and May 15th, 2020.

Results: Across participants and independent of age, there were increased generalized anxiety and social anxiety symptoms. In females, there were also increased depression and panic/somatic symptoms. Multivariable linear regression indicated that greater COVID-19 school concerns were uniquely associated with increased depression symptoms. Greater COVID-19 home confinement concerns were uniquely associated with increased generalized anxiety symptoms, and decreased social anxiety symptoms, respectively.

Conclusions: Adolescents and young adults at an early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. experienced increased depression and anxiety symptoms, particularly amongst females. School and home confinement concerns related to the pandemic were independently associated with changes in symptoms. Overall, this report suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is having multifarious adverse effects on the mental health of youth.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; depression; pandemic; youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Past 7-day averages of new COVID-19 cases in New York State between March 3rd, 2020 and May 31st, 2020 (left y-axis, black line), and number of participants who completed the COVID-19 assessment (right y-axis, gray bars). The shaded region shows the dates (April 27th, 2020 and May 15th, 2020) during which participants completed the COVID-19 assessment. All COVID-19 statistics were obtained daily from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Data Tracker (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailytrends).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Percentage of participants with CDI or SCARED symptoms in the clinical range (T⩾65). CDI = Children's Depression Inventory; SCARED = Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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