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. 2022 Jul 7:13:901783.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.901783. eCollection 2022.

Risks and Resources for Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Results of the Longitudinal COPSY Study

Neslihan Güzelsoy  1   2 , Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer  1 , Joachim Westenhöfer  2 , Janine Devine  1 , Michael Erhart  1   3   4 , Heike Hölling  5 , Anne Kaman  1
Affiliations

Risks and Resources for Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Results of the Longitudinal COPSY Study

Neslihan Güzelsoy et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic is of particularly high relevance. Especially for children and adolescents, the pandemic and its restrictions represent a significant burden. The present study aims to identify risks and resources for depressive symptoms and anxiety in children and adolescents during the pandemic in Germany.

Materials and methods: Self-reported data from the first wave of the longitudinal COVID-19 and Psychological Health (COPSY) study were used to investigate risks and resources among n = 811 children and adolescents aged 11-17 years. Depressive symptoms and anxiety were measured at the first follow-up 6 months later. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the effects of risks and resources on depressive symptoms and anxiety.

Results: Parental depressive symptoms predicted depressive symptoms and anxiety in children and adolescents 6 months later. Female gender was identified as a risk factor for anxiety during the pandemic. None of the potential resources were associated with depressive symptoms or anxiety at the follow-up.

Conclusion: The findings provide evidence of risk factors for depressive symptoms and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and adolescents who face risk factors need to be identified early and monitored during the pandemic. Family-based intervention programs are needed to help vulnerable children and adolescents cope with the challenges of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; children and adolescents; mental health; resource factors; risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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