By Andrea de Bartolo
From early morning sports practice to late night Zoom calls, the life of an adolescent has drastically changed over the last six months. Most alarming, is the increase of loneliness and stress among youth since March of this year. It is important to understand why shift in mental health this has occurred and what practicable solutions are available.
Adolescence is a crucial period for self-regulation and social connection, an aspect of development that has been supported by schools, sports, parties, and sleepovers pre-COVID-19. This physical social connection also helps youth cope with mental stress; therefore, when resources that aid in positive development are depleted, the developmental trajectory and mental health of adolescents can quickly decline. Virtual interactions may be the next best thing to connect with peers, but it comes at a cost. Extensive screen time is detrimental for adolescents, yet little social interaction may be just as harmful. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that the internet contains dramatic news about the pandemic that can trigger fear and stress. It seems as though adolescents have been forced into a catch-22 situation: they need to connect with friends from a developmental necessity, yet to do this, they are at risk of suffering from increased stress and mental illness.
A study conducted by Ellis and Dumas (2020) recruited adolescents to understand more about the impact COVID-19 has on teens. Over 40% of the participants felt stressed about COVID-19 and spent substantially more time on social media, which was related to increased reports of depression. Loneliness was shown to be associated with certain social media content; if teens saw others who were less impacted by the quarantine or they read misleading news about COVID-19, they felt helpless and lonely about their situation. It is clear that online communication has it’s downfalls, but not everything became virtual in March.
Offline, youth have continued to interact with their families at home. This social interaction within the household has been overall beneficial, yet there is a minor caveat. The stress of COVID-19 impacts everyone in the family, meaning parents and siblings may be just as worried as teens, which may create negative interactions among family members. This anxious tone I the house can be harmful for adolescents’ mental health if it is a chronic problem. Parents play a crucial role in their child’s perspective on COVID-19 and they can do quite a lot to help their teen through this difficult time.
Parents can speak with teens about their concerns and fears to help them to understand they are not alone and they have support within the household. Talking things through is also helpful in the long run, by instilling positive experiences during the isolating time of quarantine. Parents can also help their adolescents promote self-regulation by creating a routine around daily screen time use and reminding teens to be mindful of the content they are viewing on social media. Moreover, time with family was shown to improve mental health, decrease reports of depression, and cause less stress, meaning it is beneficial to schedule ‘family time’ after work and online school. Finally, staying active is an essential part of any healthy lifestyle. Whether it is going for walks or working out at home, physical activity with the family helps relieve stress, decrease symptoms of depression, and alleviate loneliness.
The COVID-19 crisis has impacted the world, especially adolescents as a whole, and although challenges remain, small daily changes can be set in place to improve well-being as we begin to accept this ‘new normal’.
Additionally, the Canadian Psychological Association has more information to help teens cope with the COVID-19 crisis: https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Publications/FactSheets/PW_HelpingTeensCopeWithImpacts_COVID-19.pdf
Images
Akyurt, E. (2020). Woman in Mask. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/AS-ksEGPa2c.