Adolescents perception of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and associated mental health and well-being: gender, age and socioeconomic differences in 22 countries.
COVID-19 measures; HBSC; Life satisfaction; Loneliness; Mental health; Multiple health complaints; Well-being; Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health; Psychiatry and Mental Health
Abstract :
[en] [en] BACKGROUND: The COVID-19-pandemic has had a profound impact on the lives of adolescents worldwide. This study examined the subjective perception of the COVID-19 pandemic measures and its association with mental health and well-being (i.e., loneliness, life satisfaction and multiple health complaints) among 13- and 15-years-old adolescents from 22 countries.
METHODS: Data from the cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2021/22 study were used from representative samples of 22 countries (N = 67,544; 51.9% girls). The self-perceived impact of COVID-19 measure comprised 10 items asking about the impact on several dimensions of adolescent lives (e.g., relationships with family and friends, health, or eating behaviours). Measures of loneliness, multiple health complaints, and life satisfaction were included as indicators of mental health and well-being. A non-parametric multilevel latent class analysis considering individual and country-levels was conducted to identify classes of self-perceived impact of the COVID-19 measures. Multilevel logistic regression models adjusted by age and socioeconomic status were applied to assess the association between COVID-19 measure impact classes and mental health.
RESULTS: Three classes were identified on individual level encompassing a neutral (51%), positive (31%), or negative (18%) perception of COVID-19 measures. A third of the adolescents reported a positive impact of the pandemic measures. The distribution of classes was heterogeneous within and across countries. Within the positive COVID-19 measure impact class, social relationships were the most important dimension, whereas mental health problems were mostly represented within the negative COVID-19 measure impact class. Girls with a negative perception of pandemic measures showed higher levels of loneliness and multiple health complaints and lower life satisfaction. 15-year-old adolescents and those with a low socioeconomic status reported higher levels of loneliness and lower life satisfaction.
CONCLUSIONS: The majority of adolescents perceived the pandemic measures as neutral or positive. Girls, 15-year-old adolescents, and those with low socioeconomic status were at higher risk of suffering from pandemic measures and associated problems of loneliness, multiple health complaints, and low life satisfaction. We conclude that adolescent's mental health and well-being should be considered in the decision-making process by ensuring that the unique challenges of adolescents are adequately addressed in policies.
Disciplines :
Sociology & social sciences
Author, co-author :
Reiss, Franziska; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. f.reiss@uke.de
Cosma, Alina; Department of Sociology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland ; School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Bersia, Michela; Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
Erhart, Michael; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany ; Alice-Salomon University, Berlin, Germany
Dalmasso, Paola; Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
Devine, Janine; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Hulbert, Sabina; Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
CATUNDA, Carolina ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Social Sciences (DSOC) > Centre for Childhood and Youth Research
Gobina, Inese; Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Riga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia ; Education and Research Unit, Childrens' Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia
Giladi, Ariela; Faculty of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel ; Department of Education, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
Jeriček Klanšček, Helena; National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Adolescents perception of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and associated mental health and well-being: gender, age and socioeconomic differences in 22 countries.
HBSC is an international study carried out in collaboration with WHO Regional Office for Europe. The International Coordinator was Jo Inchley (University of Glasgow). The Data Bank Manager was Professor Oddrun Samdal (University of Bergen). The survey data included in this study were conducted by the following principal investigators in the 22 countries: Ivana Pavic Simetin, Croatia;Yiasemina Karagiorgi, Cyprus; Petr Badura and Michal Kalman, Czechia; Leila Oja and Jaanika Piks\u00F6\u00F6t, Estonia; Nelli Lyyra and Leena Paakkari, Finland; Matthias Richter, Germany; Anastasios Fotiou and Anna Kokkevi, Greece; \u00C1gnes N\u00E9meth, Hungary; Saoirse Nic Gabhainn, Ireland; Alessio Vieno, Italy; Shynar Abdrakhmanova, Kazakhstan;Kastytis \u0160migelskas, Lithuania; Carolina Catunda and Maud Moinard, Luxembourg; Oddrun Samdal, Norway; Galina Lesco, Republic of Moldova; Anna Dzielska and Agnieszka Malkowska-Szkutnik, Poland; Tania Gaspar, Portugal; Jelena Gudelj Rakic, Serbia; Helena Jeri\u010Dek Klan\u0161\u010Dek, Slovenia; Carmen Moreno and Francisco Rivera, Spain; Petra Loftstedt, Sweden; Jo Inchley, United Kingdom (Scotland).F.R., M.B., M.E., P.D., J.D., S.H., C.C., I.G., A.G., H.J.K. and U.R.S. have not received any funding for the preparation of this manuscript. A.C. has received funding from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101028678, Project Generation. S.H contributed as part of the HBSC England team funded by the Department of Health and Social Care for England.
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