The majority of high school–aged adolescents obtain less than the recommended amount of sleep per night, in part because of imposed early school start times. Utilizing a naturalistic design, the present study evaluated changes in objective measurements of sleep, light, and physical activity before (baseline) and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (during COVID-19) in a group of US adolescents. Sixteen adolescents (aged 15.9 ± 1.2 years, 68.8% female) wore an actigraphy monitor for 7 consecutive days during an in-person week of school before the pandemic (October 2018-February 2020) and again during the pandemic when instruction was performed virtually (May 2020). Delayed weekday sleep onset times of 1.66 ± 1.33 h ( p < 0.001) and increased sleep duration of 1 ± 0.87 h ( p < 0.001) were observed during COVID-19 compared with baseline. Average lux was significantly higher during COVID-19 compared with baseline ( p < 0.001). Weekday physical activity parameters were not altered during COVID-19 compared with baseline, except for a delay in the midpoint of the least active 5 h ( p value = 0.044). This analysis provides insight into how introducing flexibility into the traditional school schedule might influence sleep in adolescents.
Objective In response to the rise in mental health needs among youth, a school-based resilience intervention was implemented for sixth graders at an urban middle school. The goal of this analysis is to examine improvements in key mental health parameters among students who endorsed negative affectivity at baseline. Method A total of 285 11–12-year-olds (72% white, 18% Hispanic, 55% female) participated in a single-arm, non-randomized 6-week 1:1 school-based coaching intervention, Healthy Kids. Youth completed validated surveys at baseline and 6-week follow-up assessing depression/anxiety symptoms, bullying, self-efficacy, academic pressure, grit, and resilience. Participants were determined to have elevated negative affectivity if they reported mild-to-severe symptoms for both depression and anxiety symptoms. General linear models examined differences between groups for each mental health parameter, as well as change in outcomes from baseline to follow-up. Results A third of participants (38%) at baseline endorsed negative affectivity. Youth who endorsed negative affectivity were more often female (71% vs 29%; p < 0.001) and identified as victims of cyberbullying (25% vs 8%; p < 0.001). Youth with baseline negative affectivity scored lower for self-efficacy (total 70.5 vs 86.8; p < 0.0001). Baseline negative affectivity was a significant moderator for change in mental health parameters. Post-intervention, those who endorsed baseline negative affectivity, medium effect sizes were observed for self-efficacy ( g = 0.6; 95%CI 0.3, 0.9; p < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms ( g = − 0.70; 95%CI − 1.0, − 0.4; p < 0.001). Among all youth, there were significant medium intervention effects in resilience ( g = 0.5; 95%CI 0.3, 0.7; p < 0.001) and self-efficacy ( g = 0.7; 95%CI 0.4, 0.9; p < 0.001). Conclusions A universal resiliency program may improve self-efficacy and symptoms of anxiety among youth experiencing negative affectivity, while improving resilience and self-efficacy among all youth. Our findings suggest a universal school-based coaching program benefits all youth, while also specifically targeting the needs of youth with negative affectivity who are most at risk for mental health concerns.
Purpose: To examine the role of sleep in a school-based resiliency intervention. Design: Single group feasibility study. Setting: Urban middle school Subjects: Sixth grade students Intervention: A total of 285, 11-12-year-old students (70% White, 18% Hispanic, 55% female) participated in the six-week 1:1 Healthy Kids intervention. Youth (n=248) completed electronic surveys at pre-post the 6-week study assessing mental health parameters and self-reported bed and wake time. Measures: Students were categorized as having insufficient sleep opportunity if they reported time in bed of <9 hours per night. Analysis: General linear models examined differences between groups for each mental health parameters pre-post study. Results: A third of participants (28%) were classified as having insufficient sleep opportunity. Youth with insufficient sleep were more often Hispanic (27% vs 16%; p<0.001) and were more often classified with both mild to severe depression and anxiety symptoms (55% vs 35%; p=0.004). The health coaching intervention was found to have a significant improvement on overall resilience and self-efficacy only among students who reported sufficient sleep, while no significant intervention effect was found for those students who reported insufficient sleep. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that youth with poor sleep health may not benefit from school-based resiliency interventions.
Background The present study aimed to describe anxiety and depression symptoms at two timepoints during the coronavirus pandemic and evaluate demographic predictors. Methods U.S. high school students 13–19 years old completed a self-report online survey in May 2020 and November 2020-January 2021. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Depression and Anxiety short forms queried depression and anxiety symptoms. Results The final sample consisted of 694 participants (87% White, 67% female, 16.2 ± 1.1 years). Nearly 40% of participants reported a pre-pandemic depression diagnosis and 49% reported a pre-pandemic anxiety diagnosis. Negative affect, defined as both moderate to severe depression and anxiety PROMIS scores, was found in ~ 45% of participants at both timepoints. Female and other gender identities and higher community distress score were associated with more depression and anxiety symptoms. Depression symptoms T-score decreased slightly (− 1.3, p-value ≤ 0.001). Conclusion Adolescent mental health screening and treatment should be a priority as the pandemic continues to impact the lives of youth.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.