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. 2024 May 9;21(5):604.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21050604.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Swedish Adolescents' Mental Health, Psychosocial Functioning, Risk Behaviours, and Victimisation: Gender Differences and Implications

Catrin Johansson  1   2 , Britt Hedman Ahlström  1   2 , Marijana Barac  1 , Therese Berglund  1 , Kourosh Bador  2   3 , Nóra Kerekes  1   2
Affiliations

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Swedish Adolescents' Mental Health, Psychosocial Functioning, Risk Behaviours, and Victimisation: Gender Differences and Implications

Catrin Johansson et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown varying effects on adolescents' mental health, psychosocial functioning, risk behaviours, and victimisation. This study aims to examine the changes reported by a sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 1607) at the end of the first year of the pandemic in relation to these factors. Data were collected with an electronic survey between September 2020 and February 2021, targeting upper-secondary high school students (aged 15-19 years). The results indicate a relatively low overall impact of the pandemic on Swedish upper-secondary school students, with notable gender differences. Compared to adolescent women, a higher percentage of adolescent men reported experiencing elevated levels of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, anger, and increased illicit drug use as consequences of the pandemic. In contrast, women demonstrated an increase in several salutogenic behaviours. Victimisation rates generally decreased during this period. These findings underscore the importance of heightened awareness among professionals within schools, social services, and healthcare settings regarding the distinct challenges encountered by a larger portion of adolescent men during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Sweden; adolescents; mental health; psychosocial functioning; risk behaviours; victimisation.

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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 potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The proportions of adolescents reporting varying degrees of impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on their daily lives and functioning, presented by gender.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The proportion of adolescent men and women who reported decreased or increased risk behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Decrease and increase of norm-breaking behaviours of adolescent men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Decrease and increase in salutogenic approaches of adolescent men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic (* = significant difference).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Reported changes in Swedish adolescents’ mental health, by gender, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before implies prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (* = significant difference).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The proportion of adolescents by gender experiencing victimisation during COVID-19 (* = significant difference).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Decrease and increase in victimisation by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic (* = significant difference).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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