Factors that protect against development of psychopathology in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

• In Event: Longitudinal Studies of Risk for and Resilience against Psychopathology during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by many unique stressors. School closures and demands for increased social distancing have precipitated a sudden loss of structure, routine, sense of control, and social support. These losses may be particularly challenging for children and they are a known risk factor for the emergence of anxiety (Chorpita & Barlow, 1998). Parental distress—a strong predictor of youth psychopathology (Kelley et al., 2010; Scheeringa & Zeanah, 2008)—is likely to be high in many families, as parents face unprecedented challenges ranging from illness, sudden unemployment and financial stressors, difficulty accessing basic necessities, and increased caretaking responsibilities for children paired with the need for remote work for some families. In the face of these stressors, it is critical to understand what malleable factors can promote resilience and buffer against stress-related increases in psychopathology among children and adolescents.

A unique features of the present study is that it utilized longitudinal samples of children and adolescents who had participated in rigorous studies on youth mental health prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 238, 7.6 – 15.2 years). We examined whether factors of the youths’ current situation and environment—including physical exercise, nature and outdoor exposure, low screen time use, low news consumption, sleep quality, sleep quantity, coping strategies, providing help to one’s community, and routine—as well as executive function (EF) prior to the pandemic moderate the association between COVID-19 related stress and increases in psychopathology. Finally, we tested whether age further moderated any of these associations to determine whether the buffering effect of any of these factors are stronger in young children or adolescents. Importantly, our longitudinal design allowed us to control for psychopathology prior to the pandemic, age, and sex.

Higher levels of COVID-19-related stressors were associated with an increase in both internalizing and externalizing symptoms and this association was the most pronounced among adolescents. Physical exercise, time spent in nature, sleep quality, and coping strategies were all associated with reduced internalizing problems, while less screen time, higher sleep quality, a structured routine, and higher EF prior to COVID were associated with reduced externalizing problems. Moreover, important buffers were revealed. Lower screen time, lower news consumption, and getting the recommended amount of sleep buffered against internalizing problems in youths with particularly high levels of COVID-related stressors; more outdoor time served as a protective factor against externalizing problems in the youths face of high levels of COVID-related stress. Finally, interactions revealed that young children, but not adolescents, with lower news consumption and higher EF prior to COVID are buffered against increases in internalizing problems in the face of high COVID-related stress. Similarly, young children, but not adolescents, who had low levels of screen time were also buffered against stress-related increases in externalizing problems. Taken together, these findings provide important insight into factors that can promote resilience in the face of COVID-related stress and which children might benefit most from interventions.

Authors

• Maya L. Rosen, Harvard University
  Presenting Author

• Alexandra M Rodman, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Steven Kasparek, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Makeda Mayes, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Liliana J Lengua, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Andrew N Meltzoff, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katie McLaughlin, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author