Coronavirus: depression worsened among teens and young women from higher-income families during pandemic, study shows
- Study reveals a spike in eating disorders and suicide attempts among children, teenagers and young women during Covid-19.
- There was also an increase in emergency room visits for suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts over the course of the pandemic, and a lack of mental health services to meet those needs
The pandemic has significant impact on young women as this group of people tend to reflect more on concerns and stressors in their lives. Photo: Shutterstock The coronavirus pandemic worsened depression among children, teenagers and young women, leading to more eating disorders and suicide attempts, according to the first large-scale study of Covid-19 spanning a dozen countries.
One Metro Detroit psychiatrist said the findings of the study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the most thorough study to date on the worsening depression among young people during the isolation of the pandemic.
“Young women tend to report higher rates of loneliness,” Dr Russell Fridson, an inpatient psychiatrist at the Detroit Medical Centre’s Children’s Hospital of Michigan. “They tend to ruminate more negatively, unproductively, perhaps reflect on concerns or stressors in their lives. Please think about the role that screens and social media have in our lives. This isn’t just for children, but particularly young women.”
Dr Russell Fridson, an inpatient psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, spoke Monday about the importance of the study about depression in children and young women during the pandemic.
With the help of paediatric clinicians, the authors of the study measured the change in average depression and anxiety among children and teens using rating scales and how those changed over the course of the pandemic.
The worldwide study, conducted from January 1, 2020 to May 17, 2022, included 53 longitudinal cohort studies from 12 countries representing 40,807 children and adolescents. Some studies found that child and adolescent depression and anxiety have increased while other symptoms remained stable or decreased.
The analysis found heightened depression symptoms during the pandemic, particularly among children, teens, and young women and those from relatively higher-income backgrounds, according to the report.
“Anxiety symptoms increased slightly during the pandemic, although there was some evidence of a small increase in anxiety symptoms for children and adolescents from relatively higher-income backgrounds,” according to the report. “Meaning the findings of longitudinal changes in child and adolescent mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic in this study can inform policy and public health responses to address mental health concerns.”
Fridson, who did not participate in the study, highlighted that depression existed at alarming rates before the pandemic but once the pandemic took footing, the prevalence of depression increased with the closure of schools, increased screen time and a decrease in physical activity.
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“The authors note that we’ve seen increased emergency room visits for suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts over the course of the pandemic, we’ve also seen an increase in eating disorders,” Fridson said. “Unfortunately, the demand for youth mental health support wasn’t being met before the pandemic.”
Children who do not receive mental health support will struggle even more over time, Fridson said. He said parents should watch for significant changes in kids’ lives, and changes in behaviour, including becoming quieter or more isolated, struggling socially or academically.
“Pay attention to lifestyle factors,” Fridson said. “Particularly healthy sleep patterns, dietary choices, physical activity, staying connected socially, a lot of these things were difficult to do … Like any health concerns, preventive measures can go a very long way.”
The study was conducted by researchers in Canada and Ireland, and analysed more than 50 studies of young people ages 10-19.
Fridson said the pandemic put a magnifying glass on the insufficient resources surrounding mental health. Some children are waiting six months for outpatient appointments with psychiatrists and are struggling to get into psychiatric settings because of staffing issues, Fridson said.
“We have seen a lot of kids coming into the hospital with acute crises,” Fridson said of his experiences. “The need for mental health support at every level is glaring to begin with and the pandemic has only made it more apparent. We’re still experiencing the lingering effects. Levels of care are not sufficient.”
Despite different types of care already available, the report’s authors said their findings underscore a need for more mental health services for children and teens.
“Our results, as well as those of many other scholars, sound a clarion call to policymakers that a response is needed to directly address the mental health crisis being experienced by children and adolescents. The development and widespread availability of timely and evidence-based global mental health prevention and intervention efforts to address childhood mental illness are critical and urgently needed.”