Social Disconnection During COVID-19: The Role of Attachment, Fear of Missing Out, and Smartphone Use

Clarifying the Links between Perceived Stress and Depressiveness: a Longitudinal Study of COVID-19's Effects on Adolescents in Germany

Young people are navigating an increasingly uncertain and unstable social and economic environment, further complicated by COVID-19. Individual resources and vulnerabilities, such as mental health and sensitivity to stress, play a significant role in how well youth adapt to the career paths and living conditions altered by the pandemic, a dynamic that is not yet well understood. This study examined the role of COVID-19 on the intertwined relation between perceived stress and depressiveness (negative and positive affect) in adolescents, focusing on gender differences. Longitudinal data from 673 German adolescents (Mage = 16.8 years, SDage = 0.91; female = 59%) were collected in three waves, before (T1) and during the pandemic (T2, T3). Using Latent Change Score models, the bidirectional relation between perceived stress and depressiveness was analyzed, considering gender as a moderator. The results showed that adolescents who found their situation stressful were at risk of developing depressiveness at the outbreak of the pandemic and throughout its progression. As the pandemic progressed, an increase in positive affect was linked to heightened perceived stress. Gender-specific differences were particularly evident in the levels of perceived stress and depressiveness, with women being more vulnerable. This study highlights how vulnerabilities in stress perception affect adolescents' mental health, with gender-specific differences underscoring the need for tailored mental health measures.

The impact of COVID-19 on the peer relationships of adolescents around the world: A rapid systematic review

The main objective of this rapid systematic review was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted peer relationships for adolescents (10-25 years of age) around the globe. We focused on four indices of peer relationships: (1) loneliness, (2) social connectedness, (3) social support, and (4) social media use. In addition, we examined gender and age differences. Four databases (APA PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched for articles published from January 2020 to November 2022. A total of 96 studies (cross-sectional: n = 66, longitudinal: n = 30, quantitative: n = 67, qualitative: n = 12, mixed-methods: n = 17) met our inclusion criteria (empirical observational studies with data on at least one of the indices of interest, cross-sectional data on COVID-19-related experiences or longitudinal data collected during the pandemic, age range of 10-25 years, typically developing adolescents). We extracted data and conducted a narrative synthesis. Findings suggest that COVID-19 disruptions negatively impacted peer relationships for youth. Most studies reported either an increase in loneliness over the course of the pandemic or a positive association between loneliness and COVID-19-related experiences. Similar findings were observed for increased social media use as a means of continued communication and connection. Fewer studies focused on social support but those that did reported a decrease or negative association with COVID-19-related experiences. Lastly, findings suggest a mixed impact on social connectedness, which might be due to the strengthening of closer ties and weakening of more distant relationships. Results for gender differences were mixed, and a systematic comparison of differences across ages was not possible. The heterogeneity in measures of COVID-19-related experiences as well as timing of data collection prevented a more nuanced examination of short and more long-term impacts.

Social pressures and their impact on smartphone use stickiness and use habit among adolescents

Excessive smartphone use has become a growing issue among adolescents as they develop mentally and socially. While researchers have examined individual and technological predictors of smartphone addiction, few studies consider broader societal influences. This study explored how social pressures such as mimicry, coercion, and norms impact persistent conscious smartphone use (use stickiness) and unconscious smartphone use (use habit). A survey was administered in two phases to 309 college students at a university in Southern China to gather data on perceptions of social influences and their degree of smartphone overuse. The relationships were analysed using a structural equation model. The study confirms the impact of three social pressures - mimetic, coercive and normative - on adolescents' degree of smartphone overuse (use stickiness and use habit). The mimetic pressure positively impacted use stickiness but not use habit. The coercive pressure positively impacted both the use stickiness and the use habit. The normative pressure positively impacted use habit but not use stickiness. This study provides a novel perspective on overlooked social drivers of problematic smartphone tendencies among youth. Our study also provides insights for educators, parents, and policymakers to more effectively intervene in adolescent smartphone overuse.

Connections matter: Adolescent social connectedness profiles and mental well-being over time

INTRODUCTION

This study examined profiles of social connectedness among early adolescents in grade 7 before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared (Winter 2020), and in grade 8 during the second Wave of the pandemic (Winter 2021).

METHOD

Linked data from 1753 early adolescents (49% female) from British Columbia, Canada who completed the Middle Years Development Instrument survey in grades 7 and 8 were used. Participants reported on life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and connectedness with peers and adults at home, school and in the community. We used Latent Profile Analysis to identify connectedness profiles at both time points, and Latent Transition Analysis to examine transitions in connectedness profiles over time. Multiple regression analyses examined the associations between profile membership in grade 7 and mental well-being in grade 8, and the associations between transitions in profile membership (i.e., increase vs. decrease in connectedness over time) and mental well-being.

RESULTS

Connectedness in multiple domains in grade 7 was related to significantly higher levels of mental well-being in grade 8, controlling for demographics, well-being in grade 7, and COVID-related mental health worries. Well-being was highest when students felt highly connected in all domains and lowest when they felt lower levels of connection. Increases in connectedness were associated with improvements in mental well-being and decreases with a decline in well-being over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Experiencing connectedness with peers and adults is critical for the mental well-being in early adolescence. Providing opportunities to connect is important in the context of major societal challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

'I turn to my closest friends for support': queer youth navigating mental health during COVID-19

The objectives of this in-depth qualitative study were to identify how COVID-19 impacted the mental health experiences of queer youth in Vancouver, Canada. Between November 2020 and June 2021, fifteen queer youth aged 15 to 25 were enrolled in the study. They participated in semi-weekly, solicited digital diary entries and semi-structured intake and follow-up interviews about COVID-19, social distancing protocols, and mental health. Using thematic analysis, two major themes were identified. First, participants described how COVID-19 impacted social support by highlighting the limitations of their existing social networks and feelings of disconnect from others in the local queer community. Second, participants described how public health guidance and the offloading of responsibility for COVID-19 risk-management onto the individual was a significant source of anxiety and stress, and how they moralised the struggle to balance compliance with the desire to connect with others. These findings highlight the need to understand the negative mental health outcomes arising from moralising approaches to public health that offload risk-management onto the individual, isolate queer youth, and hamper their identity-development processes.

Identifying key features of digital resources used during online science practicals

As in our everyday lives, we use digital elements as part of formal and informal education. To serve their educational purpose well, systematic research is desirable to identify and measure their characteristics. This study focuses on science practicals, which are complex and vary in organizational settings and specific arrangements, including usage of digital elements. We describe the digital resources on which the online instruction of science practicals during the COVID-19 forced lockdowns was built, and their key characteristics were identified. Data were collected from science teachers in Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia, France, and Spain. The teachers shared the web resources they used and that they would recommend, together with a description of the resources. We recorded 89 inputs representing 50 unique resources. Teachers preferred free resources, mostly for knowledge revision, and newly discovered 36% of them due to forced distant teaching. The best evaluated resources were those supporting interaction (especially among peers), focused on teaching subjects and/or ICT, ready to use, and with a clear structure. The resource most frequently mentioned and used in more than half of the countries was PhET (Interactive Simulations for Science and Math) which provides free simulations of scientific principles. Other characteristics mentioned in the literature (e.g., supporting creativity and independent solving, connecting different levels of organization, authenticity, flexibility) were not that important for the overall rating.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health across the world

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents has been substantial. The current review aimed to summarize the existing literature on the impact of the pandemic on mental health during adolescence, with a specific focus on longitudinal studies. The findings from these studies indicated that many adolescents experienced increased mental health problems, especially those who were already vulnerable prior to the pandemic. Several preexisting factors, such as socioeconomic background and gender, and pandemic-related factors, such as perceived stress and restrictive measures, were identified that contribute to interindividual differences in how adolescents were affected by the pandemic. However, it is crucial to interpret these changes in the context of the ongoing trend of increasing mental health problems among youth over the past decades.

Interpersonally-Based Fears and Feelings During the Covid-19 Pandemic Revisited: Research Findings and Further Reflections on Fear of Missing out and Feelings of not Mattering

Much has transpired since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) began spreading throughout the world in 2020. In our previous commentary, we focused on the significance of two specific fears with an interpersonal basis (i.e. the fear of missing out, FoMO, and the fear of not mattering) during a period in which daily routines were disrupted and physical distancing or "social distancing" was implemented as a crucial important public health intervention in response to the coronavirus. In the current article, we examine the current context and review what has been learned about the similarities and differences among people during the pandemic with a particular emphasis on research during the pandemic on the fear of missing and feelings and fears of not mattering to other people. The nature of these constructs as revealed during the pandemic is discussed with a focus on how these attributes reflect insecurity and doubts about the self that heighten susceptibility to external feedback. Key themes include the need to consider FoMO from a broad perspective that includes actual lost opportunities during the pandemic and how individual differences in mattering have been reflected in coping and adaptability and related outcomes. It is clear from our analysis that FoMO and mattering are highly salient and relevant constructs with clear ecological validity in terms of accounting for individual differences in the costs and consequences of the pandemic.

Associations of Death Anxiety, Inclusion of Smartphone in the Self, and Affiliation Motivation with Smartphone use and Addiction: A Multiple Mediation Study

This study is the first to apply terror management theory to understanding smartphone addiction by examining the potential indirect effect of death anxiety on smartphone addiction via inclusion of smartphone in the self (i.e., self-expansion), affiliation motivation (the desire to connect with others) for emotional support, and smartphone use. The sample consisted of 1483 Chinese university students between the ages of 18 and 24 (M = 19.14, SD = 1.03) who voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire survey. As hypothesized, death anxiety, inclusion of smartphone in the self, affiliation motivation, and smartphone use were directly, positively correlated with smartphone addiction. In addition, death anxiety exerted significant indirect effects via various pathways, including (i) affiliation motivation for emotional support and smartphone use and (ii) inclusion of smartphone in the self and smartphone use. Findings suggest that effective interventions for smartphone addiction should include targeting death anxiety, self-expansion, and affiliation need frustration.

Associations of active and passive smartphone use with measures of youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Smartphone use provides a significant amount of screen-time for youth, and there have been growing concerns regarding its impact on their mental health. While time spent in a passive manner on the device is frequently considered deleterious, more active engagement with the phone might be protective for mental health. Recent developments in mobile sensing technology provide a unique opportunity to examine behaviour in a naturalistic manner. The present study sought to investigate, in a sample of 451 individuals (mean age 20.97 years old, 83% female), whether the amount of time spent on the device, an indicator of passive smartphone use, would be associated with worse mental health in youth and whether an active form of smartphone use, namely frequent checking of the device, would be associated with better outcomes. The findings highlight that overall time spent on the smartphone was associated with more pronounced internalizing and externalizing symptoms in youth, while the number of unlocks was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms. For externalizing symptoms, there was also a significant interaction between the two types of smartphone use observed. Using objective measures, our results suggest interventions targeting passive smartphone use may contribute to improving the mental health of youth.

Breaking the vicious cycle: The interplay between loneliness, metabolic illness, and mental health

Loneliness, or perceived social isolation, is a leading predictor of all-cause mortality and is increasingly considered a public health epidemic afflicting significant portions of the general population. Chronic loneliness is itself associated with two of the most pressing public health epidemics currently facing the globe: the rise of mental illness and metabolic health disorders. Here, we highlight the epidemiological associations between loneliness and mental and metabolic health disorders and argue that loneliness contributes to the etiology of these conditions by acting as a chronic stressor that leads to neuroendocrine dysregulation and downstream immunometabolic consequences that manifest in disease. Specifically, we describe how loneliness can lead to overactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and ultimately cause mitochondrial dysfunction, which is implicated in mental and metabolic disease. These conditions can, in turn, lead to further social isolation and propel a vicious cycle of chronic illness. Finally, we outline interventions and policy recommendations that can reduce loneliness at both the individual and community levels. Given its role in the etiology of the most prevalent chronic diseases of our time, focusing resources on alleviating loneliness is a vitally important and cost-effective public health strategy.

Satisfaction With Governmental Risk Communication Both Increases and Decreases COVID-19 Mitigation Behaviours

Objectives: Over 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and intense societal and governmental response, a wealth of research has examined risk perceptions and public risk mitigation behaviours. The vast majority of this inquiry has focused on health risks. Nevertheless, as a "total social fact" influencing nearly every aspect of quotidian life, the pandemic engenders a wide range of risk perceptions. Methods: Via a survey (N = 4,206) of representative samples of the general public in five European countries (Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom), we explore perceptions of a range of personal/public health, economic, and societal risks. We also investigate the effects of perceptions of official governmental risk communication in one's country on risk perceptions and risk mitigation behaviours. Results: Structural equation modelling reveals that whilst perceptions of effective risk communication directly increase behaviours that mitigate COVID-19 health risks, these same perceptions indirectly decrease behaviour frequency via a mediated relationship with societal risk perceptions. Conclusion: The findings highlight the import of governmental authorities analysing and communicating about the range of risk perceptions citizens might have about a "total social fact" such as COVID-19.

Underscoring the F in FoMO: How does anxiety sensitivity contribute to fear of missing out?

Fear of missing out (FoMO) is a prevalent phenomenon associated with a range of mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. To our knowledge, the question of whether FoMO can be explained by other well-known mechanistic variables-namely, loneliness, rumination, and anxiety sensitivity (AS) - has not been previously evaluated. The current study investigated the predictive power of loneliness, rumination, and AS for explaining variance in FoMO within two independent samples of undergraduate students at a large Northeastern university. Participants completed an online battery of questionnaires. In Study 1, it was found that loneliness and rumination offered significant prediction of FoMO when AS was not considered in the model; however, when these three predictors were considered together, only AS offered significant, non-redundant prediction. Study 2 revealed that both rumination and AS offered significant prediction of FoMO, with AS offering stronger unique prediction. Such findings provide a new frame for understanding the nature of the relatively new concept of FoMO, and in particular, suggest that it may be important to consider AS and rumination in future studies.

COVID anxiety and its predictors among Slovak adolescents

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions, mainly social distancing, had an impact on the mental health of various groups, including adolescents.

Methods

The main goal of our study was to explore the impact of gender, age, resilience (measured using the Brief Resilience Scale), attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance (both measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Scale for adolescents), and mental and general health (measured using items of SF-8 Health Survey) on COVID anxiety (measured using the COVID Anxiety Scale) among a sample of Slovak adolescents (N = 1,786, age 15 to 19, mean age = 16.8, SD = 1.2). The data were collected online between 13 April and 24 May 2021.

Results

Four nested linear regression models were fitted to the data and evaluated. The significant predictors that had a greater effect than our smallest effect size of interest (β  = 0.10) were gender (β  = -0.26, p  < 0.001, where boys had lower scores in COVID anxiety), general and mental health (β  = -0.13 and β  = -0.14, respectively, both with p  < 0.001), resilience (β  = -0.12, p  < 0.001), and attachment avoidance (β  = -0.11, p  < 0.001). Similarly, age and attachment anxiety were significant predictors with a lower effect size (β  = 0.06, p  = 0.003, and β  = 0.09, p  < 0.001, respectively).

Discussion

Our results are in line with previous research findings highlighting the importance of prevention and interventions programs focused mainly on preventing loneliness and social disconnection, fostering secure attachment with parents and peers, and increasing the resilience of adolescents, especially in the stressful time of a pandemic, to promote their mental health.

Social Overview of Smartphone Use by Teenagers

Information and Communication Technologies have led to a new way of life and, in particular, of socialization. The objective of this study is to analyse the image social media disseminate of news taken from digital newspapers, based on the opportunities and drawbacks attributed to smartphone use by teenagers. An essentially qualitative methodology was used, on a sample of 1704 news items published in digital newspapers. The results and conclusions show that smartphone use by teenagers improves development of their digital competence, presents new academic opportunities (through gamification or mobile learning) and provides them with digital tools for school and leisure. The widespread drawbacks reflect the effects of the device on the deterioration of health (dependence, stress, psychosocial problems) and emotions, thereby succinctly affecting academic performance. A noticeable increase of positive news about smartphones was published in the major newspapers in December, while that on its negative effects, in September.

Students' perceptions, educational challenges and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of US students both at home and at school. Little is known regarding how adolescents perceive COVID-19 has impacted (both positively and negatively) their academic and social lives and how protective factors, such as hope, may assist with resilience. Importantly, not all pandemic experiences are necessarily negative, and positive perceptions, as well as potential protective factors, are key to understanding the pandemic's role in students' lives.

METHOD

Utilizing quantitative and qualitative approaches, the present study descriptively examined 726 6th through 12th grade (51% female, 53% White) students' perceptions of how COVID-19 related to educational and life disruptions, and positive aspects of their lives, within the United States. Analyses additionally explored the role of pre-pandemic hope in improving feelings of school connectedness during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Results showed that most students felt that switching to online learning had been difficult and their education had suffered at least moderately, with a sizeable proportion of students feeling less academic motivation compared with last year. When asked to share qualitative answers regarding perceived challenges and positive aspects of life, themes were consistent with quantitative perceptions. Students' pre-pandemic hope positively predicted students' feelings of school connectedness.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings paint a complex picture of youth's COVID-19 experiences and have implications for proactive ways to support students as COVID-19 continues to affect daily life and educational structures and practices.

Should We Be Worried about Smartphone Addiction? An Examination of Canadian Adolescents' Feelings of Social Disconnection in the Time of COVID-19

As the COVID-19 global pandemic limited face-to-face social contact, mental health concerns increased for adolescents. Additionally, many adolescents turned to technology to communicate with their peers, which also raised concerns about adolescent smartphone addiction. However, research has yet to examine how mental health and technology engagement are related to adolescents' feelings of social connection-an important developmental predictor of wellbeing across the lifespan. Specifically, little is known regarding the relative risk of adolescents' mental health concerns, a known risk factor for social disconnection and isolation and smartphone addiction in contributing to feelings of social disconnection in the time of COVID-19. The present study investigated how mental health outcomes and smartphone addiction contributed to Canadian adolescents' (n = 1753) feelings of social disconnection during COVID-19. Between October 2020 and May 2021, data were collected from five secondary schools in and around the lower mainland of British Columbia using an online-administered self-report questionnaire. Adolescents responded to questions about their smartphone addiction, internalizing problems, and an open-ended question about their feelings of connection to others. Findings from logistic regression analyses indicated that depression was a predictor of feeling socially disconnected: however, smartphone addiction was not associated with feelings of social disconnection during COVID-19. Implications of these findings can help inform the development of prevention programs targeting adolescents at risk for social disconnection in times of increased social isolation (e.g., a global pandemic). Specifically, these findings suggest that adolescents higher in depressive symptoms, and not those higher in smartphone addiction, are the ones most at risk.

Predicting social media use intensity in late adolescence: The role of attachment to friends and fear of missing out

The vast majority of research on social media use (SMU) is focused on its negative effects while often disregarding that it can also help adolescents form and maintain a network of social relations and support. This study explores the possibility of predicting SMU intensity based on peer attachment dimensions (Trust, Communication, Alienation) and FoMO on a sample of adolescents (N = 557; M_age = 18.09; SD_age = _.275). The results show that Trust and Communication (merged in one dimension of Peer support) are positive predictors of SMU and that this effect is partly mediated by FoMO which was also found to be a positive predictor. Alienation was not a significant predictor in the first step of regression analysis, but it became significant upon the addition of FoMO. The indirect effects analysis showed that FoMO suppresses the effect of Alienation on SMU intensity - the stronger FoMO the smaller the effect of Alienation. To sum up, when there is trust and good communication in relationships with friends, but also Fear of missing out, there will be more intensive use of SM. In addition, although being alienated from friends can restrict the use of SM, this effect is diminished if there is Fear of missing out. Taken together, these results point to the role of peer attachment and FoMO in predicting the intensity of SMU which can be viewed not as a negative phenomenon but as a way of acquiring social capital and a means of preserving and maintaining already acquired social capital.

Intimate Relationships during COVID-19 across the Genders: An Examination of the Interactions of Digital Dating, Sexual Behavior, and Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in economic hardship, psychological stress, anxiety, and depression in a significant proportion of the global population. However, the bidirectional effects of social isolation and pre-existing or developed psychological stress could inform sexual behaviors and affect digital dating outcomes. Additionally, it is unknown whether intimate behaviors and relationships have been equally affected across the genders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to contrast the course of intimate relationships pre-and post-COVID-19, with a focus on diverse genders, digital dating, mental health, and behavior. A review of the dating landscape during COVID-19 is developed in this study, encompassing themes including diverse genders, sexual orientation, demographic characteristics, sexual behavior, the state of psychological wellbeing, and interactions with digital dating apps. The authors reviewed the trends and challenges of digital romance. Dating before and during the pandemic is explored, discussing how COVID-19 experiences may inform future romantic partnerships. Mobile dating applications saw a surge in downloads and usage across popular platforms, including Tinder (3 billion swipes in March 2020) and Ok Cupid (700% increase in dates), with the top 20 dating apps gaining 1.5 million daily users. Cross-sectionally, being younger, single, and having higher levels of stress was a predictor of higher dating-app usage during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Risky sexual behavior and having multiple sexual partners were reduced during social distancing as there was an increased worry of contracting the virus. Heightened incidents of domestic/intimate partner abuse have caught the headlines in several countries. COVID-19 during lockdown has also posed barriers to accessing support and help from sexual and mental health services.

Fear of COVID-19, prolonged smartphone use, sleep disturbances, and depression in the time of COVID-19: A nation-wide survey

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide range of behavioral and psychological effects on the general population. This study examined the relationship between fear of COVID-19, daily smartphone use, sleep disturbance, and depression in the general population during the early stage of COVID-19.

METHODS

An online nation-wide survey was conducted from March 20 to April 10, 2020. Sociodemographic information, including age, gender, educational attainment, vocation, and duration of self-isolation, was collected; fear of COVID-19 and other objective exposures, daily hours of smartphone use, night sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms were measured with structured questions and PHQ-9. There were 1,280 questionnaires in total, and 1,250 valid questionnaires remained.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sleep disturbance and depression were found to be 13.1 and 10.7%, respectively. Feelings of extreme fear, longer smartphone use, difficulty initiating sleep, and early morning awakening were significant risk factors for depression. Daily hours of smartphone use, difficulty initiating sleep, and early morning awakening partially mediated the association between feeling extremely scared of the pandemic and depression.

CONCLUSION

Psychological interventions in a major public health crisis should focus more on the subjective perception of pandemic fear. At the same time, daily smartphone use and sleep disturbances could serve as targets for monitoring and intervention for depression during a pandemic.

Difficulties in Establishing "Truth" Conditions in the Assessment of Addictive Smartphone Use in Young Adults

The smartphone revolution has placed powerful, multipurpose devices in the hands of youth across the globe, prompting worries about the potential negative consequences of these technologies on mental health. Many assessment tools have been created, seeking to classify individuals into problematic and non-problematic smartphone users. These are identified using a cutoff value: a threshold, within the scale range, at which higher scores are expected to be associated with negative outcomes. Lacking a clinical assessment of individuals, the establishment of this threshold is challenging. We illustrate this difficulty by calculating cutoff values for the Short Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV) in 13 Spanish-speaking samples in 11 countries, using common procedures (i.e., reliability, validity, ROC methodology). After showing that results can be very heterogeneous (i.e., they lead to diverse cutoff points and rates of addiction) depending on the decisions made by the researchers, we call for caution in the use of these classifications, particularly when researchers lack a clinical definition of true addiction-as is the case with most available scales in the field of behavioral addictions-which can cause an unnecessary public health alert.

Sensemaking Processes during the First Months of COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Diaries to Deepen How Italian Youths Experienced Lockdown Measures

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about disruptive changes in individuals' lives, breaking the established systems of meaning worldwide. Indeed, in the first months of the pandemic, with individuals being forced to stay at home for a prolonged time to contain the spread of the virus, the need to build new meanings to understand and face this crisis emerged. Building on this, the present study contributes to the understanding of how sensemaking processes were shaped in the face of COVID-19 collective trauma during the very first months of the pandemic. Hence, 36 Italian young adults aged between 21 and 25 submitted daily diary entries for two weeks (T1 was the third week of Italian National lockdown; T2 was the penultimate week before the ease of such stay-at-home orders), resulting in 504 texts. The stimulus was always "Could you describe your daily experience and feelings?". The Grounded Theory was used. Thus, 15 categories emerged, grouped into three macro-categories. The core category was sensemaking as adaptation. Indeed, the sensemaking process seemed to be a strategy to adapt to the new circumstances related to the lockdown, facing the emotional, cognitive, and activation reactions such conditions by relying on coping strategies and the redefinition of primary as well as broader social relationships.

Adolescence Amid a Pandemic: Short- and Long-Term Implications

Members of the Society for Research on Adolescents COVID-19 Response Team offer this commentary to accompany this special issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence regarding the impact of the pandemic on adolescents' social, emotional, and academic functioning. In addition to outlining the critical need for scholarly collaboration to address the global impact of this crisis on adolescent development, we argue that a broad investigative lens is needed to guide research and recovery efforts targeting youth development. We then use this broad lens to consider dimensions of the pandemic impact relative to developmental implications within community and policy contexts, educational contexts, social contexts, and family contexts. Finally, we describe guideposts for setting a global, shared research agenda that can hasten research to recovery efforts surrounding the pandemic and youth development.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescent Emotional, Social, and Academic Adjustment

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on adolescents worldwide. This special issue aimed to increase our understanding of the factors that explain interindividual differences in how adolescents are affected by the pandemic. The special issue includes 21 empirical articles from four continents on the role of the pandemic in changes in emotional, social, and academic adjustment during adolescence. The studies demonstrate that many adolescents experienced increased depressive symptoms, negative affect, and loneliness, and lower academic adjustment during the pandemic, particularly those that were already at risk before the pandemic. At the same time, many adolescents had individual, family, and community resources that made them resilient and helped them to continue to function well despite the adverse circumstances.