Research & Initiatives

How have teen’s mental health been affected during the Covid-19 quarantining? The vicissitude of teens mental health altered as well as impacted their lifestyles in positive and negative ways. Furthermore, the nation is struggling in disparate ways from financial issues to stressors at home or work, these are just some examples of struggles that can lead to struggles with mental health. It's important to continue with a positive mindset, and to find ways to cope with anxiety or stressors in education, work, and overall lifestyle. During this pandemic it's foisted negative effects on a person’s mental health that include psychological stressors; however, people have found coping mechanisms to surmount with the stressors of the pandemic. 

There are many psychological stressors associated with quarantine. In this case, these include: frustration, boredom, family problems, uncertainty as well as fear of the pandemic. These are just some of the multifarious factors that can affect a person’s well-being and mental health. “Although quarantine is often a necessity for the greater good, the length of time in quarantine is a strong predictor of adverse mental health outcomes both in the short term and long term” (Rege, 2020). As previously quoted, quarantine is 'often a necessity' and needed, but the longer it goes on the more it can affect teens mentally. In the beginning, some teens felt this ebullience during isolation; however, as days preceded there were alterations in daily life routines and procedures. “The absence of routine and loss of social contact can be particularly distressing to some, which not only has an impact on mental health but can lead to greater energy intake” (Blendon et al. 2004). Quarantine's been difficult for many that includes: trying to keep a healthy mental state, finding new and original creative tasks, and time managing or scheduling days. As these may entail: staying in contact with friends, completing work, finding activities to do around home, and more, as while still following the Covid-19 regulations.

As this pandemic has trifled throughout the nation, people have been seeking coping mechanisms during this unprecedented time period. Some of those coping mechanisms include: contacting friends and/or family members, reaching out and communicating with dependable household members, taking breaks between hours of schoolwork, journalism, etc. These are just some of the ways to cope in the course of this time period, there's still additional coping mechanisms or techniques    In response to coping mechanisms, a SHADAC Covid-19 survey was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago that stated, “The most commonly reported coping responses were “talking more with friends and family” (40.5 percent) and an “increased use of social media” (30.3 percent)” (Planalp et al.). The statistics shows that communicating more with friends and family is higher in percentage than an increased use of social media.  

The overall mental health of teens in the country has decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic. These mental health issues had occurred before the pandemic, but have now increased throughout the time frame of the pandemic. According to the CDC, “Symptoms of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder increased considerably in the United States during April–June of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.”(Czeisler et al.) In the matter of one year the symptoms of anxiety and depression have increased exponentially, as compared to 2019, mental health has decreased dramatically. In another quote by the CDC, “The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety disorder was approximately three times those reported in the second quarter of 2019 (25.5% versus 8.1%), and prevalence of depressive disorder was approximately four times that reported in the second quarter of 2019 (24.3% versus 6.5%).”(Czeisler et al.) In comparison to before the pandemic, people are more depressed and are suffering from more anxiety. Therefore, the pandemic has negatively reconstituted the mental health of teens in America.

Quarantining brought stressors into the lives of many teens. This pandemic struck consternation and dismay through the minds of many teens along with frustration, boredom, and family issues. This global pandemic had many people thinking of new coping methods to deal with the newfound stressors of life. Some of these coping methods included a more open line of communication between friends, family, and loved ones along with journalism and trying new hobbies. The effects of the pandemic and quarantining have overall decreased the mental health. In comparison to before quarantine, more anxiety and depressive symptoms were present as well as an increase in loneliness and social isolation. In conclusion,  teens mental health has been eminently affected throughout this worldwide pandemic and quarantine.

Research

“Support For Teens and Young Adults.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 July 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/stress-coping/young-adults.html

Planalp, Colin, et al. “90 percent of U.S. Adults Report Increased Stress Due to Pandemic.” SHADAC, 28 May 2020, shadac.org/ ttps://shadac.org/SHADAC_COVID19_Stress_AmeriSpeak-Survey

“Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 August 2020,

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm 

 

Rege, Sanil, The Mental Health Impact of Quarantine – Psychological Consequences and Management Strategies. Psych Scene Hub. 19 September 2020,

https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/the-mental-health-impact-of-quarantine/