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. 2022 Jan 3:1-12.
doi: 10.1007/s12144-021-02670-y. Online ahead of print.

Associations between adolescents' prosocial experiences and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Lauren M Alvis  1 , Robyn D Douglas  1 , Natalie J Shook  2 , Benjamin Oosterhoff  3
Affiliations

Associations between adolescents' prosocial experiences and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Lauren M Alvis et al. Curr Psychol. .

Abstract

Natural disasters and times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are extremely stressful events, with severe mental health consequences. However, such events also provide opportunities for prosocial support between citizens, which may be related to mental health symptoms and interpersonal needs. We examined adolescents' prosocial experiences as both actors and recipients during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed whether these experiences were associated with indicators of mental health. Adolescents (N = 426; 78% female) aged 13 to 20 years (M age = 16.43, SD = 1.10; 63.6% White, 12.9% Hispanic/Latinx, 8.5% Asian, 4.2% Black, 2.8% Native American) were recruited across the US in early April of 2020. Participants reported on their COVID-19 prosocial experiences (helping others, receiving help) and mental health (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, burdensomeness, belongingness). Multiple regression models indicated greater engagement in COVID-19 prosocial behavior was associated with greater anxiety symptoms and greater burdensomeness. Receiving more COVID-19 help was associated with lower depressive symptoms and higher belongingness. Findings highlight the importance of furthering our understanding of the nuanced connections between prosocial experiences and adolescents' mental health to help inform post-pandemic recovery and relief efforts.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02670-y.

Keywords: Adolescence; COVID-19; Mental health; Prosocial behavior.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestsThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Frequency Distribution of Adolescents’ COVID-19 Prosocial Experiences. Total N = 467. Items A1-A8 measured youths experiences as the actor in prosocial acts and items R1-R4 measured experiences as the recipient in prosocial acts. When applicable, item wording specified “…because of COVID-19.” See Supplemental Materials for full item wording
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Associations between Receiving COVID-19 Prosocial Acts and Adolescent Mental Health
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Associations between Engagement in COVID-19 Prosocial Acts and Adolescent Mental Health
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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