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The Impact of Stressors on Adolescent’s Mood and Societal Commitment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thu, April 8, 10:15 to 11:15am EDT (10:15 to 11:15am EDT), Virtual

Abstract

Adolescence and young adulthood are crucial formative periods for emotional and social development (Blakemore & Mills, 2014; Crone & Dahl, 2012). While for some this period of time might be a window of opportunity for positive other-oriented behaviour, others may be prone to more self-oriented behaviour with possible negative consequences (Crone & Dahl, 2012). Healthy adolescent development is threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, as adolescents and students are dealing with marked changes like transitioning to online education, having limited to no physical contact with peers, and being constrained to stay at home (Orben, Tomova, & Blakemore, 2020). An important determinant for individual differences in developmental outcomes is emotional reactivity (Carlo, Crockett, Randall, & Roesch, 2007), especially during adolescence since this period is characterized by increases in frequency and intensity of emotional reactivity (Dahl, 2004; Somerville, Jones, & Casey, 2010).

The central aim of the present study was to examine the role of environmental stressors, on adolescents’ and students emotional reactivity and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We specifically focused on the following stressors: family stress, emotional maltreatment, stress due to changes in the quality of social relationships (i.e. social stressors), financial concerns, and inequality of opportunity (i.e. socioeconomic stressors; see our preregistration https://osf.io/uf9dn/). To test this, we conducted a two-week daily diary study during COVID-19 lockdown (May 2020). Participants aged 10-25 years (adolescents and students) received online questionnaires every weekday, resulting in ten assessments (N = 888; Mage_adolescents = 15.32 years, SD = 1.79, 63% females; Mage_students= 21.48 years, SD=3.34, 81% females).

We expected that emotional reactivity would serve as a differential susceptibility factor, such that individuals with more fluctuations in three emotions (i.e. vigor, tension, and depression) were more likely to engage in positive other-oriented behaviour (i.e. prosocial behaviour toward friends, family, and others) and less self-oriented behaviour (i.e., alcohol use and violations of COVID-19 associated advised protective behaviours) in a supportive environment, compared to individuals who are less emotionally reactive. However, the opposite pattern was expected when in an environment with more environmental stressors.

Initial findings from the adolescent sample showed that the association between tension variability and prosocial behaviors (i.e., support to family and willingness to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic) was moderated by family stress (b = -.23, t = -2.33, p < .05) and emotional maltreatment by family members (b = -.60, t = -2.56, p < .05). Adolescents with more tension variability were less supporting to family/willing to help others when in an environment with high levels of family stress or maltreatment, but more willing to help others when in an environment with low levels of family stress or maltreatment. The student sample revealed relationships between mood variability and prosocial behaviour, however they were not moderated by social stressors. Overall, these findings suggest that the extent to which emotional reactivity is related to wellbeing is differentially influenced by specific social- and socioeconomic stressors in adolescents and students. These findings are an important contribution to our knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent development.

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