Differing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health: combined population and clinical study
Lu Qi
(1)
,
Zuo Zhang
(1)
,
Lauren Robinson
(1)
,
Marina Bobou
(1)
,
Chantal Gourlan
(2, 3)
,
Jeanne Winterer
(4)
,
Rebecca Adams
(1)
,
Kofoworola Agunbiade
(1)
,
Yuning Zhang
(5)
,
Sinead King
(6)
,
Nilakshi Vaidya
(7)
,
Eric Artiges
(2, 3)
,
Tobias Banaschewski
(8)
,
Arun Bokde
(9)
,
M John Broulidakis
(10)
,
Rüdiger Brühl
,
Herta Flor
(8)
,
Juliane Fröhner
(11)
,
Hugh Garavan
(12)
,
Antoine Grigis
(13)
,
Andreas Heinz
(14)
,
Sarah Hohmann
(8)
,
Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot
(2, 3)
,
Sabina Millenet
(8)
,
Frauke Nees
,
Betteke Maria van Noort
,
Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos
(13)
,
Luise Poustka
,
Julia Sinclair
(5)
,
Michael Smolka
(11)
,
Robert Whelan
(9)
,
Argyris Stringaris
(15)
,
Henrik Walter
(16)
,
Jean-Luc Martinot
(2, 3)
,
Gunter Schumann
(2, 3)
,
Ulrike Schmidt
(1)
,
Sylvane Desrivières
(1)
,
M. John Broulidakis
1
King‘s College London
2 CB - CB - Centre Borelli - UMR 9010
3 ERL Inserm U1299 - Trajectoires développementales en psychiatrie : mesures et modélisations
4 Freie Universität Berlin
5 University of Southampton
6 Maynooth University - National University of Ireland Maynooth
7 Charité - UniversitätsMedizin = Charité - University Hospital [Berlin]
8 Universität Heidelberg [Heidelberg] = Heidelberg University
9 Trinity College Dublin
10 Northeastern University [Boston]
11 TU Dresden - Technische Universität Dresden = Dresden University of Technology
12 University of Vermont [Burlington]
13 NEUROSPIN - Service NEUROSPIN
14 University Hospital Mannheim | Universitätsmedizin Mannheim
15 UCL - University College of London [London]
16 HU Berlin - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin = Humboldt University of Berlin = Université Humboldt de Berlin
2 CB - CB - Centre Borelli - UMR 9010
3 ERL Inserm U1299 - Trajectoires développementales en psychiatrie : mesures et modélisations
4 Freie Universität Berlin
5 University of Southampton
6 Maynooth University - National University of Ireland Maynooth
7 Charité - UniversitätsMedizin = Charité - University Hospital [Berlin]
8 Universität Heidelberg [Heidelberg] = Heidelberg University
9 Trinity College Dublin
10 Northeastern University [Boston]
11 TU Dresden - Technische Universität Dresden = Dresden University of Technology
12 University of Vermont [Burlington]
13 NEUROSPIN - Service NEUROSPIN
14 University Hospital Mannheim | Universitätsmedizin Mannheim
15 UCL - University College of London [London]
16 HU Berlin - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin = Humboldt University of Berlin = Université Humboldt de Berlin
Lauren Robinson
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1355392
- ORCID : 0000-0001-9550-2940
Nilakshi Vaidya
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1354775
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4600-7158
Tobias Banaschewski
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 763392
- ORCID : 0000-0003-4595-1144
Rüdiger Brühl
- Fonction : Auteur
Frauke Nees
- Fonction : Auteur
Betteke Maria van Noort
- Fonction : Auteur
Luise Poustka
- Fonction : Auteur
Julia Sinclair
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1355393
- ORCID : 0000-0002-1905-2025
Jean-Luc Martinot
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1354962
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0136-0388
Gunter Schumann
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1355394
- ORCID : 0000-0003-4905-5523
M. John Broulidakis
- Fonction : Auteur
Résumé
Background Identifying youths most at risk to COVID-19-related mental illness is essential for the development of effective targeted interventions. Aims To compare trajectories of mental health throughout the pandemic in youth with and without prior mental illness and identify those most at risk of COVID-19-related mental illness. Method Data were collected from individuals aged 18–26 years ( N = 669) from two existing cohorts: IMAGEN, a population-based cohort; and ESTRA/STRATIFY, clinical cohorts of individuals with pre-existing diagnoses of mental disorders. Repeated COVID-19 surveys and standardised mental health assessments were used to compare trajectories of mental health symptoms from before the pandemic through to the second lockdown. Results Mental health trajectories differed significantly between cohorts. In the population cohort, depression and eating disorder symptoms increased by 33.9% (95% CI 31.78–36.57) and 15.6% (95% CI 15.39–15.68) during the pandemic, respectively. By contrast, these remained high over time in the clinical cohort. Conversely, trajectories of alcohol misuse were similar in both cohorts, decreasing continuously (a 15.2% decrease) during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic symptom severity predicted the observed mental health trajectories in the population cohort. Surprisingly, being relatively healthy predicted increases in depression and eating disorder symptoms and in body mass index. By contrast, those initially at higher risk for depression or eating disorders reported a lasting decrease. Conclusions Healthier young people may be at greater risk of developing depressive or eating disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted mental health interventions considering prior diagnostic risk may be warranted to help young people cope with the challenges of psychosocial stress and reduce the associated healthcare burden.