Canadian Adolescents' Internalized Symptoms in Pandemic Times: Association with Sociodemographic Characteristics, Confinement Habits, and Support

An Examination of Bidirectional Associations Between Alcohol Use and Internalizing Symptoms Among Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

This study explores the bidirectional association between internalizing symptoms and alcohol use over three years of the COVID-19 pandemic to examine whether alcohol consumption is associated with higher internalizing symptoms in the next year and vice versa.

METHODS

We used linked data from a sample of 2,136 secondary school students who participated in three consecutive waves (2019-2020 [T1], 2020-2021 [T2], and 2021-2022 [T3]) of the Cannabis use, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol use, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour study during the pandemic. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to characterize reciprocal linear relations between internalizing symptoms and alcohol use.

RESULTS

The findings suggest that students who reported higher levels of alcohol use at T1 experienced increased levels of depression and anxiety in the subsequent year (T2). However, this association was not observed from T2 to T3. Throughout the three-year period, depression and anxiety were not associated with later alcohol use. In males, alcohol use at T1 was a predictor of higher internalizing symptoms at T2 but not from T2 to T3.

DISCUSSION

These results suggest time-sensitive impacts and notable gender differences in the relationship between internalizing symptoms and alcohol use over the pandemic. Given the complexity of impacts, ongoing evaluation of the impact of the pandemic on youth health behaviours is necessary to elucidate these unfolding relationships, especially as the pandemic continues to affect various psychosocial risk factors.

Youth physical activity and the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

•

Numerous studies examined youth physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

•

Overall decreases in youth PA were seen during the first 1.5 years of the pandemic.

•

There were differences in PA by sub-populations (e.g., age, sex/gender)

•

There were also differences in PA by location/type (e.g., outdoor, play)

•

Programming and policy should focus on evolving PA promotion for youth.

The purpose of the systematic review was to identify, evaluate, and synthesize evidence from available published literature examining the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on youth physical activity (PA). A systematic review of the literature was conducted for years 2020–2021. Published articles were searched in eight databases. Inclusion criteria included: availability of full-text, written in English language, and reported quantitative or qualitative results of original or secondary data on PA and COVID-19 related factors among youth (ages 5–17 years). A standard quality assessment tool assessed risk of bias and quality of included articles. The search retrieved 2,899 articles with 51 articles ultimately meeting inclusion criteria. The majority of articles (65 %) investigated change in PA from before to during the pandemic. Most evidence indicated an overall decrease in youth PA levels during the pandemic with differences observed among sub-populations (e.g., age, sex or gender), type, and location. Findings suggest pandemic-related closures hindered PA participation due to a high reliance on school- and sport-based PA. Programmatic strategies (e.g., activity breaks, active curriculum, free online activities/lessons) should include aligning intervention measures and geared towards evolving and ongoing PA promotion based on the latest findings.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on French-Canadian adolescents' academic motivation: A follow-up study

We previously shared results suggesting that the academic motivation of a sample of French-Canadian adolescents remained stable from few weeks before the first wave to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We here examine if this pattern persisted using data collected at a third time point.

Experience of Autistic Children and Their Families During the Pandemic: From Distress to Coping Strategies

To understand the perspectives and needs of autistic children and their families in the context of an emergency, 109 parents and 56 autistic children (5.75-18 years) from Canada completed an online survey about needs, barriers and facilitators to coping with the pandemic. Parents' concerns about their child's development and difficulties managing their child's behaviors before and during pandemic were significantly associated. Parents identified maintaining social relationships and implementing appropriate interventions to their child's characteristics as facilitators during the pandemic. Both children and parents identified lack of socialization as a main difficulty. Among children, 92.9% associated electronic devices with their well-being. This study highlighted the need to consider the child's autistic characteristics and interests to implement emergency accommodations and services.

[Psychological and behavioral problems in children and adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic: a Scoping review]

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the psychological and behavioral problems and related influencing factors in children and adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic.

METHODS

China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched using the method of subject search for articles published up to March 31, 2022, and related data were extracted for Scoping review.

RESULTS

A total of 3 951 articles were retrieved, and 35 articles from 12 countries were finally included. Most of the articles were from the journals related to pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, and epidemiology, and cross-sectional survey was the most commonly used research method. Psychological and behavioral problems in children and adolescents mainly included depression/anxiety/stress, sleep disorder, internet behavior problems, traumatic stress disorder, and self-injury/suicide. Influencing factors were analyzed from the three aspects of socio-demographic characteristics, changes in living habits, and ways of coping with COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

During the COVID-19 epidemic, the psychological and behavioral problems of children and adolescents in China and overseas are severe. In the future, further investigation and research can be carried out based on relevant influencing factors to improve the psychological and behavioral problems.

Children and Adolescents' Mental Health Following COVID-19: The Possible Role of Difficulty in Emotional Regulation

The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered routines throughout the world, creating closures and social isolation. Preliminary studies conducted during the pandemic have shown that children and adolescents are mainly affected by social distancing and the lack of a supportive framework. The purpose of the present study was to compare mental health symptoms of 430 children and adolescents who sought mental health services in the community before vs. during the pandemic. The study examined children's perceived burden of the pandemic, reports of emotional and behavioral problems (SDQ) anxiety (SCARED), depressed moods (SMFQ-C), and difficulty in emotional regulation (DERS), as well as intervening variables such as age and gender. Furthermore, the effect of difficulty in emotional regulation on children's mental health symptoms was explored. Findings indicate an increase in all mental health symptoms excluding anxiety, during the pandemic. Boys reported more difficulty in emotional regulation during the pandemic than before, and girls reported more emotional and behavioral problems. Children reported an increase in emotional and behavioral problems and adolescents in peer relationship problems. Difficulty in emotional regulation predicted all mental health symptoms in both samples, more so in girls and adolescents. These initial findings support the need for further studies to examine the long-term mental health effects of COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Anxiety of Adolescents in Québec

Background

Several studies conducted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown its harmful effects on young people’s mental health. In Québec and Canada, few studies have focussed on adolescents, and even fewer of these studies have examined this subject using a methodology that involved comparisons of data obtained before and during the pandemic, which is the purpose of this study.

Objective

The objective of this study is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety of secondary 1 and 2 students in Québec, using data obtained before and during the pandemic.

Method

Participants were 2990 French Canadian students in secondary 1 (grade 7) and secondary 2 (grade 8) in Québec. Two independent samples completed the questionnaires, one sample before the pandemic (fall 2019) and one sample during the pandemic (fall 2020). Their answers were subjected to descriptive analysis and multivariate analysis of variance.

Results

Results show that the pandemic has had variable impacts on the student’s mental health, with some of them reporting negative effects on their lives, others reporting no effect, and some reporting positive effect. However, the students surveyed during the pandemic generally reported more symptoms of generalized anxiety, and higher levels of test anxiety, fear of judgment and perfectionism than the ones surveyed before the pandemic.

Conclusions

The discussion puts forward possible explanations for the results obtained, which contribute to a better understanding of young adolescents’ experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses the importance of developing interventions for adolescents affected by this pandemic.

Pre-pandemic sleep behavior and adolescents' stress during Covid-19: a prospective longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE

To prospectively document changes in adolescents' sleep before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to examine their impact on adolescents' perceived stress.

METHODS

Sixty-two typically developing adolescents participated in the study before (Time 1: January 15 to March 13, 2020) and during (Time 2: May 15 to June 30, 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. At Time 1, each participant's sleep pattern was assessed in the home environment using actigraphy and sleep logs for seven consecutive nights. Adolescents completed a battery of questionnaires in which they reported on their sleep schedule, duration, and quality, as well as their activities at bedtime, their daytime sleepiness, and their social/emotional behavior. The participants' parents provided demographic information. At Time 2, each participant completed a sleep log, the same battery of questionnaires regarding sleep, and the Perceived Stress Scale.

RESULTS

(1) Adolescents' reported sleep was of longer duration and on a delayed schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. (2) A larger proportion of adolescents reported meeting or exceeding the recommended amount of sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic sleep. (3) "Social jet lag" disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic. (4) A shorter reported sleep duration and higher level of arousal at bedtime at Time 1 were significant predictors of adolescents' perceived stress at Time 2-during the COVID-19 pandemic. (5) A higher levels of arousal at bedtime and lower reported sleep quality at Time 2 were concurrently associated with higher levels of perceived stress among adolescents, even when we controlled for the levels of pre-pandemic emotional or behavioral issues, sleep duration, or sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

Sleep duration and cognitive-emotional arousal, which are both modifiable behaviors, were associated with adolescents' perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. These behaviors could be useful targets for preventive interventions aiming to reduce adolescents' stress in the face of stressogenic situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.