Covid-19: Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Among High School Students

Year 2021, Volume: 3 Issue: 3, 192 - 202, 14.09.2021

Neşe Yakşi Mehtap Eroğlu Mikail Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.35365/ctjpp.21.3.20

Abstract

Although it is thought that Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection does not clinically affect children as severely as adults, the short and long-term psychological effects on adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic are quite significant. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and related factors in high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June and July 2020, 506 high school students from two different provinces were included in the present study. A questionnaire form including sociodemographic characteristics, 'Child Depression Scale' and 'State-Trait Anxiety Scale' were applied online. Univariate and multivariate analyzes were used in data analysis, and p<0.05 was accepted as significance level. Depression prevalence was 22.9 %, median trait anxiety score was 44, and median state anxiety score was 39. Low-income level, think of themselves or the household was at risk, using information sources other than health professionals, high screen time, high mother coronavirus stress score and low family communication score were shown to increase depression. Higher school grades, not regularly exercising, think of themselves or the household were at risk, staying alone at home, high mother's and father's coronavirus stress scores and low family communication score were shown to increase state anxiety. Adolescents highly suffer from psychological outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to involve the family in planning and implementing early mental health interventions during the pandemic, especially as parent-related factors affect children's psychological state. During the social isolation period, it is recommended to organize indoor exercise programs for children and adolescents, limit the time spent in front of the screen, and improve communication with family members.

Keywords

COVID-19 Pandemic, Depression, Anxiety, Adolescent, Turkey

References

• Ahmed, M. Z., Ahmed, O., Aibao, Z., Hanbin, S., Siyu, L. and Ahmad, A. (2020). Epidemic of COVID-19 in China and associated Psychological Problems. Asian journal of psychiatry, 102092.
• Alvis, L., Shook, N. and Oosterhoff, B. (2020). Adolescents' prosocial experiences during the covid-19 pandemic: Associations with mental health and community attachments.
• Artan, T., Atak, I., Karaman, M. and Cebeci, F. (2020). Relationship Between Sociodemographic Characteristics, Psychological Resilience and Anxiety Levels in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak. Electronic Turkish Studies,15(6).
• Asmundson, G. J. and Taylor, S. (2020). Coronaphobia: Fear and the 2019-nCoV outbreak. Journal of anxiety disorders, 70, 102196.
• Atrooz, F., Liu, H. and Salim, S. (2019). Stress, psychiatric disorders, molecular targets, and more. In Progress in molecular biology and translational science (Vol. 167, pp. 77-105): Elsevier.
• Brazendale, K., Beets, M. W., Weaver, R. G., Pate, R. R., Turner-McGrievy, G. M., Kaczynski, A. T.,von Hippel, P. T. (2017). Understanding differences between summer vs. school obesogenic behaviors of children: the structured days hypothesis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 100.
• Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N. and Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet.
• Calik, M. (2020). Determining The Anxiety And Anxiety Levels Of University Students In The COVID 19 Outbreak. International Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Invention, 7(07).
• Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J. and Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry research, 112934.
• Chen, F., Zheng, D., Liu, J., Gong, Y., Guan, Z. and Lou, D. (2020). Depression and anxiety among adolescents during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
• Chen, Q., Liang, M., Li, Y., Guo, J., Fei, D., Wang, L., . . . Li, X. (2020). Mental health care for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), e15-e16.
• Chong, M.-Y., Wang, W.-C., Hsieh, W.-C., Lee, C.-Y., Chiu, N.-M., Yeh, W.-C., . . . Chen, C.-L. (2004). Psychological impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome on health workers in a tertiary hospital. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 185(2), 127-133.
• Colgecen, Y. and Colgecen, H. (2020). Evaluation of Anxiety Levels Arising From Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case of Turkey. Electronic Turkish Studies, 15(4).
• Conger, R. D., Ge, X., Elder Jr, G. H., Lorenz, F. O. and Simons, R. L. (1994). Economic stress, coercive family process, and developmental problems of adolescents. Child development, 65(2), 541-561.
• Crawley, E., Loades, M., Feder, G., Logan, S., Redwood, S. and Macleod, J. (2020). Wider collateral damage to children in the UK because of the social distancing measures designed to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in adults. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 4(1).
• Dalton, L., Rapa, E. and Stein, A. (2020). Protecting the psychological health of children through effective communication about COVID-19. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 4(5), 346-347.
• Ding, Y., Du, X., Li, Q., Zhang, M., Zhang, Q., Tan, X. and Liu, Q. (2020). Risk perception of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its related factors among college students in China during quarantine. PloS one, 15(8), e0237626.
• Duan, L. and Zhu, G. (2020). Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), 300-302.
• Ginter, E. J., Lufi, D. and Dwinell, P. L. (1996). Loneliness, perceived social support, and anxiety among Israeli adolescents. Psychological reports, 79(1), 335-341.
• Goksu, O. and Kumcagiz, H. (2020). Perceived Stress Level and Anxiety Levels in Individuals in Covid-19 Outbreak. Electronic Turkish Studies, 15(4).
• Goulia, P., Mantas, C., Dimitroula, D., Mantis, D. and Hyphantis, T. (2010). General hospital staff worries, perceived sufficiency of information and associated psychological distress during the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. BMC infectious diseases, 10(1), 322.
• Hall, R. C., Hall, R. C. and Chapman, M. J. (2008). The 1995 Kikwit Ebola outbreak: lessons hospitals and physicians can apply to future viral epidemics. General hospital psychiatry, 30(5), 446-452.
• Jalloh, M. F., Li, W., Bunnell, R. E., Ethier, K. A., O'Leary, A., Hageman, K. M., . . . Hersey, S. (2018). Impact of Ebola experiences and risk perceptions on mental health in Sierra Leone, July 2015. BMJ global health, 3(2), e000471.
• Kilincel, S., Kilincel, O., Muratdagi, G., Aydin, A. and Usta, M. B. (2020). Factors affecting the anxiety levels of adolescents in home‐quarantine during COVID‐19 pandemic in Turkey. Asia‐Pacific Psychiatry, e12406.
• Kleinman, A. (2004). Culture and depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(10), 951-953.
• Kovacs, M. (1981). Rating scales to assess depression in school-aged children. Acta Paedopsychiatrica: International Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
• Lee, J. (2020). Mental health effects of school closures during COVID-19. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 4(6), 421.
• Lei, L., Huang, X., Zhang, S., Yang, J., Yang, L. and Xu, M. (2020). Comparison of prevalence and associated factors of anxiety and depression among people affected by versus people unaffected by quarantine during the COVID-19 epidemic in southwestern China. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 26,e924609-924601.
• Lewinsohn, P. M., Roberts, R. E., Seeley, J. R., Rohde, P., Gotlib, I. H. and Hops, H. (1994). Adolescent psychopathology: II. Psychosocial risk factors for depression. Journal of abnormal psychology, 103(2), 302.
• Loades, M. E., Chatburn, E., Higson-Sweeney, N., Reynolds, S., Shafran, R., Brigden, A., . . . Crawley, E. (2020). Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
• Malay, D. S. (2020). COVID-19, Pandemic, and Social Distancing. The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 59(3), 447.
• McLoyd, V. C., Jayaratne, T. E., Ceballo, R. and Borquez, J. (1994). Unemployment and work interruption among African American single mothers: Effects on parenting and adolescent socioemotional functioning. Child development, 65(2), 562-589.
• Oner, N. and Le Compte, A. (1998). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Handbook. 2nd Edition, Boğaziçi University Publications, Istanbul.
• World Health Organization (2020). WHO Director-General's remarks at the media briefing on 2019-nCoV on 11th February 2020. World Health Organization, Geneva. Available via https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-2019-ncov-on-11-february-2020. Accessed, 10.
• Oy, B. (1991). Childhood Depression Rating Scale: Application to Healthy Children and Children Consulting to Child Mental Health Clinic. Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, 2(2), 137-140.
• Pilowsky, D. J., Wickramaratne, P., Nomura, Y. and Weissman, M. M. (2006). Family discord, parental depression, and psychopathology in offspring: 20-year follow-up. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(4), 452-460.
• Purgato, M., Gastaldon, C., Papola, D., Van Ommeren, M., Barbui, C. and Tol, W. A. (2018). Psychological therapies for the treatment of mental disorders in low‐and middle‐income countries affected by humanitarian crises. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (7).
• Rios-González, C. M. and Palacios, J. M. Symptoms of Anxiety and depression during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Paraguay.
• Roy, D., Tripathy, S., Kar, S. K., Sharma, N., Verma, S. K. and Kaushal, V. (2020). Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety and perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian journal of psychiatry, 102083.
• Rubin, G. J. and Wessely, S. (2020). The psychological effects of quarantining a city. BMJ, 368
• Spielberger, C. D. (2010). State‐Trait anxiety inventory. The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1-1.
• Taylor, S. (2019). The psychology of pandemics: Preparing for the next global outbreak of infectious disease: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• Tsamakis, K., Rizos, E., Manolis, A. J., Chaidou, S., Kympouropoulos, S., Spartalis, E., . . . Triantafyllis, A. S. (2020). [Comment] COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health of healthcare professionals. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 19(6), 3451-3453.
• Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C. S. and Ho, R. C. (2020). Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(5), 1729.
• Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., McIntyre, R. S., Sharma, V. K. (2020). A longitudinal study on the mental health of general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
• Wang, G., Zhang, J., Lam, S. P., Li, S. X., Jiang, Y., Sun, W., Li, S. (2019). Ten-year secular trends in sleep/wake patterns in Shanghai and Hong Kong school-aged children: a tale of two cities. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 15(10), 1495-1502.
• Xiang, Y.-T., Yang, Y., Li, W., Zhang, L., Zhang, Q., Cheung, T. and Ng, C. H. (2020). Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(3), 228-229.
• Xie, X., Xue, Q., Zhou, Y., Zhu, K., Liu, Q., Zhang, J. and Song, R. (2020). Mental health status among children in home confinement during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Hubei Province, China. JAMA pediatrics.
• Yang, L., Zhao, Y., Wang, Y., Liu, L., Zhang, X., Li, B. and Cui, R. (2015). The effects of psychological stress on depression. Current neuropharmacology, 13(4), 494-504.
• Zhou, S.-J., Zhang, L.-G., Wang, L.-L., Guo, Z.-C., Wang, J.-Q., Chen, J.-C., . . . Chen, J.-X. (2020). Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of psychological health problems in Chinese adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1-10.