COVID-19 Distress Impacts Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms, NSSI, and Suicide Risk in the Rural, Northeast US.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Widespread concern exists about the impacts of COVID-19 and related public health safety measures (e.g., school closures) on adolescent mental health. Emerging research documents correlates and trajectories of adolescent distress, but further work is needed to identify additional vulnerability factors that explain increased psychopathology during the pandemic. The current study examined whether COVID-19-related loneliness and health anxiety (assessed in March 2020) predicted increased depressive symptoms, frequency of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicide risk from pre-pandemic (late January/early February 2020) to June 2020.

Method

Participants were 362 middle and high school adolescents in rural Maine (M age = 15.01 years; 63.4% female; 76.4% White)

SUBMITTER: Schwartz-Mette RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9452606 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature