ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2024
Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Relation to the Use of Digital Technologies: Longitudinal Cohort Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adolescent social media use and its association with mental health: a cross-sectional study in Bradford, England.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Health economics analysis of restrictive school smartphone policies in secondary schools in England (SMART Schools).BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Social networking site use, depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study (SCAMP).BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Childhood trauma and anxiety symptoms among Chinese university students: the moderating and mediating roles of mindfulness.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Article
- Comparison of depressive symptoms and eating behaviors among Japanese university students with subthreshold depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Depressive symptomatology in Brazil: perspectives of statistical and psychometrics analyses of the PHQ-9 at four time-points (2020-2023) in the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Change, Adversity, and Adaptation: Young People's Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic Expressed through Artwork and Semi-Structured Interviews.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAdolescents are susceptible to mental illness and have experienced substantial disruption owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital environment is increasingly important in the context of a pandemic when in-person social connection is restricted.
objectiveThis study aims to estimate whether depression and anxiety had worsened compared with the prepandemic period and examine potential associations with sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral factors, particularly digital behaviors.
methodsWe analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a large, representative Greater London adolescent cohort study: the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP). Participants completed surveys at T1 between November 2016 and July 2018 (N=4978; aged 13 to 15 years) and at T2 between July 2020 and June 2021 (N=1328; aged 16 to 18 years). Depression and anxiety were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, respectively. Information on the duration of total mobile phone use, social network site use, and video gaming was also collected using questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of sociodemographic characteristics, digital technology use, and sleep duration with clinically significant depression and anxiety.
resultsThe proportion of adolescents who had clinical depression and anxiety significantly increased at T2 (depression: 140/421, 33.3%; anxiety: 125/425, 29.4%) compared with the proportion of adolescents at T1 (depression: 57/421, 13.5%; anxiety: 58/425, 13.6%; P for 2-proportion z test <.001 for both depression and anxiety). Depression and anxiety levels were similar between the summer holiday, school opening, and school closures. Female participants had higher odds of new incident depression (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.18) and anxiety (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.23-3.61) at T2. A high level of total mobile phone use at T1 was associated with developing depression at T2 (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.02-3.49). Social network site use was associated with depression and anxiety cross-sectionally at T1 and T2 but did not appear to be associated with developing depression or anxiety longitudinally. Insufficient sleep at T1 was associated with developing depression at T2 (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.31-3.91).
conclusionsThe mental health of this large sample of adolescents from London deteriorated during the pandemic without noticeable variations relating to public health measures. The deterioration was exacerbated in girls, those with preexisting high total mobile phone use, and those with preexisting disrupted sleep. Our findings suggest the necessity for allocating resources to address these modifiable factors and target high-risk groups.
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