Journal
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-EUROPE
Volume 5, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100093
Keywords
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Funding
- Norwegian Directorate for Children, Adolescents and Family affairs (Bufdir)
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The study found that anxiety and depressive symptoms in Norwegian youths slightly increased between 2019 and 2020, mainly driven by age increase rather than pandemic-related measures. Female gender, pre-existing mental health issues, and living in a single-parent household were associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the pandemic. However, living in a poor family or having a history of maltreatment were linked to a lesser increase in symptoms.
Background: Lockdown policies related to the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has potential negative consequences for mental health in youths. Methods: Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed in 3 572 adolescents, age 13 to 16 using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-10), in a representative longitudinal survey of Norwegian youths between February 2019 (T1) and June 2020 (T2). Predictors for symptom change were analysed with linear mixed-effects models. Findings: Overall, clinical levels of anxiety and depression increased slightly from 5.5% at T1 to 6.3% at T2; Chi square 224.4 (df = 1), p<.001. However, the observed change was driven by the increase in age between assessments. Being a girl, having pre-existing mental health problems, and living in a single-parent household at T1, predicted higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms at T2 (p<.001). Living in a single-parent household was associated with a significant increase in symptoms, also when age was controlled for (p<.001). Living in a poor family however, or having a history of maltreatment, was associated with a significantly lower increase in symptoms (p<.001). Interpretation: Anxiety and depressive symptoms increased slightly in Norwegian youths between 2019 and 2020, but this change seemed to be driven by increase in age rather than pandemic-related measures. Symptom levels were unevenly distributed across demographic groups both before and during the pandemic outbreak, indicating that health disparities persist for adolescents in risk groups during a pandemic. Health inequities related to living conditions need to be addressed in future action plans, and intensified measures to mitigate inequities are needed. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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