Adolescents' longitudinal trajectories of mental health and loneliness: The impact of COVID‐19 school closures

Abstract

Introduction: Longitudinal research examining the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) school closures on the mental health of adolescents is scarce. Prolonged periods of physical and social isolation because of such restrictions may have impacted heavily on adolescents' mental health and loneliness. Methods: The current study addresses a major gap by examining the impact of school closures on the mental health and loneliness of 785, 10-to 17-year-old Western Australian adolescents (mean age = 14.1, SD = 1.31), who were surveyed across four time points: twice before COVID-19, once as schools closed, and once post reopening of schools. Pre-and post-COVID-19 changes in mental health and loneliness were compared using linear mixed models. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) assessed temporal associations between loneliness, depression symptoms, and positive mental wellbeing. Results: Compared with pre-COVID-19 symptom levels, there were significant increases in depression symptoms, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and a significant decrease in positive mental wellbeing at different points over time. Symptom change over time differed according to gender and pre-COVID-19 symptom severity. Significant increases in positive attitudes towards being alone and feelings of isolation occurred at different points over time. Gender differences were evident. RI-CLPMs highlighted the predictive significance of friendship quality and having a negative attitude towards being alone over time in relation to depression symptoms. A positive or negative attitude towards being alone was predictive of positive mental wellbeing over time. Conclusion: Findings provide evidence that COVID-19-related school closures adversely affected adolescents' mental health and feelings of loneliness.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organisation (2020. Within days, the Western Australian (WA) government implemented disease containment measures to slow the potential spread of the virus. On March 24, 2020, the WA government initiated a phased border restriction policy, which within 2 weeks culminated in a "hard border," preventing persons from other Australian states or international countries entering WA. Already the most isolated capital city in the world, Perth was now effectively completely isolated. Parents were subsequently advised to keep their children at home as schools closed.

Loneliness and self-harm in adolescents during the first national COVID-19 lockdown: results from a survey of 10,000 secondary school pupils in England

“…Taken together, the data suggest that a substantial proportion of adolescents frequently felt lonely during the time of national lockdown and that loneliness had intensified during this period for many adolescents. These findings concur with concerns expressed in the scientific literature about the potential negative effect of the pandemic and the resulting measures to curb the spread of the virus on the mental health and well-being of young persons (Loades et al, 2020 ) although not all studies are consistent with the above (Houghton et al, 2022 ; Myhr et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In the 2020 YouGov survey, 41% of the children and young persons surveyed reported that they were lonelier than they had been before lockdown (Barnardo’s, 2020 ). There is some evidence from other countries on the negative impact of the pandemic disease containment measures on adolescents’ loneliness (Ellis et al, 2020 ) although findings from a prospective study involving Australian youth (Houghton et al, 2022 ) and findings from a Norwegian study using repeated cross-sectional surveys (Myhr et al, 2021 ) have shown no increase in loneliness in relation to school closure and disease containment measures earlier in the pandemic relative to pre-pandemic measures.…”

Loneliness and depressive symptoms among Australian female boarding school students

“…The timing of data collection in this present study must also be addressed. Increasing evidence suggests the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic related school closures, social distancing from peers and teachers, and cancelling of extra-curricular activities had negative effects on adolescents’ mental health and feelings of loneliness worldwide (see Houghton et al, 2022). At the time of data collection in the present research, school closures were being introduced in Western Australia (WA) and this may have impacted the present study.…”

“…A series of studies (Houghton et al, 2014(Houghton et al, , 2016(Houghton et al, , 2020(Houghton et al, , 2022 employing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis have consistently reported four correlated factors: Friendship related loneliness (i.e., having reliable, trustworthy supportive friends); isolation (i.e., having few friends or believing that there was no one around offering support); having a positive attitude to being alone (i.e., positive aspects and benefits of being alone such as relaxing, happiness); and having a negative attitude to being alone (i.e., negative aspects of being alone such as time dragging, unhappiness). Fit statistics for the PALs have included: CFI (.92-.99), NFI (.90-.91) and RMSEA = 0.03-0.06 (90% CI: .054-.061); Cronbach alphas have ranged from: friendship related loneliness (α = .86-.93), isolation (α = .80-.89), positive attitude to being alone (α = .78-.88) and negative attitude to being alone (α = .77-.81) (see Houghton et al, 2014Houghton et al, , 2016Houghton et al, , 2020Houghton et al, , 2022. A recent Rasch analysis of the PALs (Houghton et al, 2020) supported its interval scale measurement properties.…”

The positive role of parental attachment and communication in Chinese adolescents' health behavior and mental health during COVID‐19

“…Stressful life events, such as the previous outbreaks of influenza A (H1N1) and Ebola, increase the risk of mental health problems by eliciting the public's negative emotional responses (e.g., depression and anxiety; Liao et al, 2014 ; Van Bortel et al, 2016 ). During the early period of COVID‐19, studies across the globe indicate that adolescents experience higher levels of anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms compared to pre‐pandemic levels (Houghton et al, 2022 ; Racine et al, 2020 ; D. Wang et al, 2022 ).…”