Longitudinal Covid-19 effects on child mental health: vulnerability and age dependent trajectories

BACKGROUND: Few longitudinal studies have investigated the extended long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for children’s and adolescents’ mental health, and a lack of uniform findings suggest heterogeneity in the impact of the pandemic. METHODS: This study investigated child and adolescent mental health symptoms across four occasions (pre-pandemic, initial lockdown, second lockdown, and society post reopening) using data from the Dynamics of Family Conflict study. Child and adolescent depressive vulnerability, age, and sex were explored as trajectory moderators. Children and adolescents (N = 381, M(age) = 13.65, SD = 1.74) self-reported their anxiety, depression, and externalizing symptoms. Mixed effects analyses were performed to investigate trajectories across measurement occasions and interaction terms between occasion and moderator variables were included to better understand the heterogeneity in the impact of the pandemic. RESULTS: Children and adolescents reported increases in anxiety symptoms at the second lockdown (t(523) = −3.66, p < .01) and when society had reopened (t(522) = −4.90, p < .001). An increase in depression symptoms was seen when society had reopened relative to the three previous measurement occasions (ps < 0.01). Depressive vulnerability moderated the trajectory for anxiety symptoms (F(3,498) = 3.05, p = .028), while age moderated the trajectory for depression symptoms (F(3,532) = 2.97, p = .031). CONCLUSION: The delayed and negative impact on children’s and adolescents’ mental health underscores the need for continued monitoring, and implementation of support systems to help and mitigate further deterioration. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13034-023-00652-5.