Predictors of Adolescent Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cognitive Reappraisal and Humor
Open accessAbstract
Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to slow the spread of disease have particularly affected the lives of adolescents. Many studies have recently identified the risks to adolescent mental health posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet few have identified the markers of resilience to the events and concerns associated with the pandemic's lived experience. This study examined the moderating role of psychosocial resources in the association between the tangible and emotional experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and symptoms of common psychiatric problems during adolescence (depression, anxiety, proactive and reactive aggression, and sleep problems). Methods Participants were adolescents in the United States who were oversampled for early life adversity before the COVID-19 pandemic. The psychosocial resources assessed were humor styles, emotion regulation, social support, optimism, and purpose in life, which have previously been identified as protective in the acute aftermath of stressful events. Results Greater COVID-19 impact was associated with more anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance, and proactive aggression. COVID-19 impact and psychiatric symptoms were unrelated among youth reporting high self-enhancing humor and cognitive reappraisal. Conclusions Adolescents high in humor and cognitive reappraisal may be protected against the mental health correlates of the COVID-19 pandemic and other prolonged stressors. Importantly, these factors are known to be modifiable through behavioral interventions. Attention to their effectiveness in prevention and intervention studies is needed as the pandemic continues to exert its impact on individuals and society.
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Cognitive reappraisal has empirical support for a resilience-building effect across countries.
“Cognitive reappraisal, or reinterpreting a stressor in a more realistic/positive way to depower its impact, has also garnered empirical support for its resiliencebuilding effect across countries.”
From RESILIENCE, COPING, AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ACROSS THE GLOBE – AN UPDATE: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? (2023) · cites this paper as Kuhlman et al., 2021
The Results (Cognitive reappraisal; page unavailable) show that higher reappraisal moderated the association between COVID-19 impact and several psychiatric symptoms, supporting a protective association. But the Methods identify participants as adolescents in the United States, not across countries, and the Discussion describes the analyses as cross-sectional; the paper does not establish a resilience-building effect caused by reappraisal. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredGreater use of cognitive reappraisal buffered stress responses to COVID-19 in American samples.
“Greater utilization of cognitive reappraisal buffered stress responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Chinese (Xu et al., 2020) and American samples (Kuhlman et al., 2021).”
From RESILIENCE, COPING, AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ACROSS THE GLOBE – AN UPDATE: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? (2023) · cites this paper as Kuhlman et al., 2021
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RESILIENCE, COPING, AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ACROSS THE GLOBE – AN UPDATE: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Polizzi, C. P., McDonald, C. W., Sleight, F. G., & Lynn, S. J. (2023) · PubMed Central · doi:10.36131/cnfioritieditore20230411 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“Greater utilization of cognitive reappraisal buffered stress responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Chinese (Xu et al., 2020) and American samples (Kuhlman et al., 2021).”
Ludlow, C., Wardle, B., & Nedeljkovic, M. (2024) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2023.2257864 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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Background
- Authors
- Kuhlman, K. R., Straka, K., Mousavi, Z., Tran, M.-L., & Rodgers, E.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kuhlman, Kate R.
- Venue
- Journal of Adolescent Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-11
- Volume
- 69
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 729-736
- ISSN
- 1054-139X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8460169
- OpenAlex
- W3191571132
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 10.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Adolescent Health (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1 TR001414)
- National Institute of Mental Health (K08MH112773)
- Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (27013)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- adolescent resilience, COVID-19 pandemic, cognitive reappraisal, humor styles, self-enhancing humor, emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, proactive aggression, reactive aggression, childhood adversity, social support, optimism, meaning of life, adolescent mental health
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Cognition, Humans, Mental Health, Pandemics
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