COVID-19 stressors and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a community sample of children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 public health crisis has created abrupt and unparalleled disruptions to the daily lives of children and adolescents across the world, placing them at significant risk for developing symptoms of anxiety and depression. METHOD: The current study used two data collection periods to determine which types of COVID-19-related stressors were associated with the greatest risk of anxiety and depression symptoms in a community sample of children and adolescents in the United States (U.S.) from May-August 2020 (T1) to February-April 2021 (T2). Seventy-nine youth (ages 10-17; M = 13.41, SD = 2.10; 54.4% female) completed a battery of online standardized questionnaires about COVID-19 stress and psychiatric symptoms at T1 and 56 of these also participated at T2. RESULTS: The majority of children and adolescents reported experiencing the COVID-19-related stressors in multiple domains including daily routines, interpersonal relationships, education, finances, and health. A substantial proportion of the sample reported clinical levels of depression and anxiety symptoms at both T1 and T2. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that, controlling for T1 anxiety and depression symptoms, T2 interpersonal stressors were significantly associated with elevated depression and anxiety scores at T2. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the salience of social connection for children and adolescents, and may also underscore the risk associated with lockdown restrictions, social distancing, and school closures during the pandemic.

Coping with COVID-19 stress: Associations with depression and anxiety in a diverse sample of U.S. adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented levels of stress to individuals in the U.S. and throughout the world. These high stress levels place individuals at risk for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. The current study applies a control-based model of coping to contribute to the development of evidence-based interventions to promote resilience. Data were collected online from April 22 through July 12, 2020. Data from two samples of U. S. community adults who completed an online battery of standardized questionnaires were combined (N = 709). More than a quarter reported moderate to severe levels of depression symptoms, and more than one-fifth reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety symptoms; symptom levels were higher among adults who reported more COVID-19-related stress. As hypothesized, multiple regression analyses indicated that greater use of primary and secondary control coping was associated with lower symptom levels, whereas greater use of disengagement coping was associated with higher symptom levels, above and beyond the association of stress with symptoms. Race and ethnicity emerged as important moderators of these associations, indicating that what constitutes adaptive coping varies according to characteristics of the individual. Implications for public health policy and clinical practice are discussed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02444-6.