Longitudinal assessment of anxiety and depression symptoms in U.S. adolescents across six months of the coronavirus pandemic

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to describe anxiety and depression symptoms at two timepoints during the coronavirus pandemic and evaluate demographic predictors. METHODS: U.S. high school students 13–19 years old completed a self-report online survey in May 2020 and November 2020-January 2021. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Depression and Anxiety short forms queried depression and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 694 participants (87% White, 67% female, 16.2 ± 1.1 years). Nearly 40% of participants reported a pre-pandemic depression diagnosis and 49% reported a pre-pandemic anxiety diagnosis. Negative affect, defined as both moderate to severe depression and anxiety PROMIS scores, was found in ~ 45% of participants at both timepoints. Female and other gender identities and higher community distress score were associated with more depression and anxiety symptoms. Depression symptoms T-score decreased slightly (− 1.3, p-value ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: Adolescent mental health screening and treatment should be a priority as the pandemic continues to impact the lives of youth. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-022-01028-8.