How has COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescent mental health?

Many teens were forced to study online for many months, spend little time with friends, deprive themselves of sports, concerts and other events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All this, according to scientists, had an extremely negative impact on the mental health of adolescents.

According to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll, 46% of parents say their teenage children have shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the pandemic began in March 2020. Parents of teenage girls were more likely to report that their child developed or worsened depressive symptoms and anxiety.

A representative report at the national level is based on responses from 977 parents of adolescents aged 13-18.

According to the survey, one in three adolescent girls and one in five adolescent boys experienced recent or exacerbated anxiety. More parents of teenage girls than parents of teenage boys report an increase in anxiety (36% vs, 19%) or depression/sadness (31% vs. 18%).

Nearly the same number of parents report negative changes in their children's sleep habits (24% for girls vs. 21% for boys), leaving the family (14% vs. 13%), and aggressive behavior (8% vs. 9%).

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