Reported Changes in Adolescent Psychosocial Functioning during the COVID-19 Outbreak
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Abstract What effect the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has on adolescents’ psychosocial functioning is unknown. Using data of N = 1789 (50% females) adolescents in Sweden we described adolescents’ thoughts and behaviors, as well as perceived changes in substance use, everyday life, relations, victimization, and mental health during the outbreak. Results show that a) adolescents tend to comply with regulations from the government, b) although most adolescents do not experience psychosocial changes, a critical number report increase in substance use and negative relational changes and c) most of the adolescents report poorer control of their everyday life and mental health. Adolescent females and adolescents with distance schooling were likely to report negative changes in their psychosocial functioning during the Covid-19 outbreak. Based on these findings, we suggest that the society should pay close attention to changes in adolescents’ psychosocial functioning during the time of crisis.
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In a Swedish study of 1818 adolescents, most participants experienced decreased mental health, especially female participants and those in distance learning.
“The authors concluded that most of the participants experienced decreased mental health, especially female participants and those in distance learning.”
From The Impact of Parental Support on Adherence to Therapist-Assisted Internet-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Primary Care for Adolescents With Anxiety: Naturalistic 12-Month Follow-Up Study (2025) · cites this paper as [43]
The Abstract reports that most adolescents perceived poorer mental health and that females and adolescents in distance schooling were more likely to report negative psychosocial changes. However, the Abstract and Participants section give a final sample of 1,789 adolescents, not 1,818. (LLM, conf=0.89)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredDistance learning could result in less victimization and poorer mental health overall.
“The authors also discovered that distance learning could result in less victimization and poorer mental health overall [43].”
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References 34 · Cited by 77
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Weiner, R. M. Lerner, M. A. Easterbrooks & J. Mistry (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, Vol. 6: Developmental psychology (2nd ed., pp. 393-434).
- Green, P. (2020). Risks to children and adolescents during covid-19 pandemic. British Medical Journal. 369(1669).
- Paterlini M. (2020 April 21). Closing borders is ridiculous': the epidemiologist behind Sweden's controversial coronavirus strategy -Anders Tegnell talks to Nature about the nation's "trust-based" approach to tackling the pandemic. Nature News Q&A available at https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01098-x
- Phelps, C., & Sperry, L. L. (2020). Children and the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(1), 73-75.
- Public Health Agency of Sweden. (2020). Påverkar covid-19-pandemin befolkningens psykiska hälsa? En snabb systematisk litteraturöversikt. [Does the covid-19 pandemic affect the mental health of the population? A quick systematic literature review]. Retrieved August 21 st from https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/publicerat-material/publikationsarkiv/p/paverkar-covid-19-pandemin-befolkningens-psykiska-halsa/?
- Authors
- Kapetanovic, S., Gurdal, S., Ander, B., & Sorbring, E.
- Affiliations
- University West (SE)
- Jönköping University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Kapetanovic, Sabina
- Venue
- Adolescents
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-01-15
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 10-20
- ISSN
- 2673-7051 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3106923161
- Cited by
- 77
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 13
- FWCI
- 11.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Adolescents (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, substance use, parent-adolescent conflict, peer time, victimization, adolescent mental health, gender differences, crisis
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