Tracking Mental Wellbeing of Dutch Adolescents During the First Year of the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 71; no. 4; pp. 414 - 422
• Main Authors: van der Laan, Sabine E.I., Lenters, Virissa C., Finkenauer, Catrin, van Harmelen, Anne-Laura, van der Ent, Cornelis K., Nijhof, Sanne L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2022; Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Communicable Disease Control; COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Mental wellbeing; Original; Pandemics; Prospective Studies; COVID-19 pandemic; Mental wellbeing; Adolescent
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.06.006

Adolescents might be susceptible to the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown. We assessed changes in mental wellbeing throughout the first year of the pandemic and compared these with prepandemic levels. This five-wave prospective study among Dutch adolescents aged 12–17 years used data collected before the pandemic (n = 224) (T0), in May (T1), July (T2), and October 2020 (T3), and in February 2021 (T4). Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between stringency of the lockdown with mental wellbeing. Adolescents had a lower life satisfaction during the first full lockdown (T1) [adjusted β: −0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.58 to −0.13], during the partial lockdown (T3) (adjusted β: −0.37, 95% CI: −0.63 to −0.12), and during the second full lockdown (T4) (adjusted β: −0.79, 95% CI: −1.07 to −0.52) compared to before the pandemic (T0). Adolescents reported more internalizing symptoms during only the second full lockdown (T4) (adjusted β: 2.58, 95% CI: 0.41–4.75). During the pandemic [at T1 (adjusted β: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.20–0.38), T2 (adjusted β: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.26–0.46), T3 (adjusted β: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.22–0.45), and T4 (adjusted β: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.07–0.34)], adolescents reported a better psychosomatic health, partly attributable to less trouble falling asleep (p < .01). The COVID-19 lockdown measures have had both a negative and positive impact on mental wellbeing of Dutch adolescents. However, mental wellbeing was most impacted during the second full lockdown compared to before the pandemic.