Covid pandemic increased depression in teens by 26% – 05/01/2023 – Health

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents around the world.

According to a study published this Monday (1st) in the journal Jama Pediatrics, compared to the pre-pandemic period, symptoms of depression grew by 26% globally in young people up to 19 years old. Anxiety, on the other hand, increased by close to 10% in children and adolescents in the first year of the pandemic.

Although the observed increase was general, in terms of gender, girls suffered more damage to their mental health, with 32% more symptoms of depression and 12% more anxiety (against 10% and 4%, respectively, in boys).

Regarding age group, adolescents suffered more from anxiety, with about 16% more symptoms in the pandemic period, against a 2% reduction in children up to 12 years old.

The study involved Canadian and Irish researchers from the Universities of Calgary in Alberta, the University of Ottawa and the University of Ontario in Canada, and University College Dublin in Ireland.

To assess the variations in symptoms of depression and anxiety in the pandemic, the scientists carried out a meta-analysis (analysis of data published in previous studies, without collecting new information) and systematic review of 53 studies in 11 countries with 40,807 children and adolescents during the pandemic.

Studies with data on symptoms of anxiety and depression, before and during the pandemic, in children and adolescents aged up to 19 years and that presented sociodemographic data such as gender, age, ethnicity and income were included. The countries included in the analysis were: Germany, Australia, Canada, China, Spain, United States, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Switzerland.

The average age found was 13.5 years for studies that evaluated depression and 12.6 for those with information on anxiety, and women were the majority in studies of depression and anxiety (54% and 52%, respectively).

The main outcomes observed were good to high evidence of increased symptoms of depression during the pandemic in children and adolescents, while evidence for increased symptoms of anxiety was moderate.

The differences found regarding age, gender and country, however, showed that the deterioration in mental health was heterogeneous. While in North America (Canada and USA) the increase in depression observed in adolescents was 25%, in Europe this rate reached 35%. In Asia, growth was around 11%.

Adolescents suffered more from depression (27%, against 21% in children) and anxiety (16%, with a decrease of 2% in children), although the result has little statistical evidence.

With regard to income, middle and high income countries had a greater increase in depression in the pediatric population, with 35%, against 18% in the poorest countries. Anxiety also ranged from 14% to 3% in high- and low-income countries, respectively.

The authors of the study state that this can be justified by the greater access to the electronic questionnaires used in the research and also by the greater feeling of loss of extracurricular activities during the quarantine period, in relation to children from lower middle-income countries.

Finally, the study observed a correlation between when there was an initial diagnosis of a mental condition, such as depression or anxiety, in young people, the risk of having a worsening until the age of 17 in the pandemic was seven times higher compared to those who did not have this predisposition. .

The authors state that the global burden of mental health is considerable at any age, but it is greater among younger people, since it may be associated with other effects such as cognitive loss, low academic performance, quality of life, interpersonal relationships and physical health. , in addition to increasing the risk of developing psychopathy in adult life.

Although the study has some limitations, such as including mostly countries that have English as their first language or with greater access to health services and online questionnaires, it was a pioneer in including a large number of children and adolescents, especially with pre and post-natal data. post pandemic.

The research, however, had only one study with data from non-binary children and adolescents, and the burden of mental health in minorized populations such as transgenders may be greater.

Finally, the researchers conclude that the greater effect on women and adolescents can help in the process of creating public policies focused on this minority group to better assist the mental health crisis experienced today by children and adolescents around the world.