Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample.
<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown pose a threat for adolescents' mental health, especially for those with an earlier vulnerability. Accordingly, these adolescents may need increased support from family and friends. This study investigated whether family functioni...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264962 |
| _version_ | 1797943949325762560 |
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| author | Stefania V Vacaru Roseriet Beijers Carolina de Weerth |
| author_facet | Stefania V Vacaru Roseriet Beijers Carolina de Weerth |
| author_sort | Stefania V Vacaru |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown pose a threat for adolescents' mental health, especially for those with an earlier vulnerability. Accordingly, these adolescents may need increased support from family and friends. This study investigated whether family functioning and peer connectedness protects adolescents with earlier internalizing or externalizing symptoms from increased depressive symptoms during the first Dutch COVID-19 lockdown in a low-risk community sample.<h4>Methods</h4>This sample comprised 115 adolescents (Mage = 13.06; 44% girls) and their parents (N = 111) and is part of an ongoing prospective study on child development. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were self-reported a year before the COVID-19 lockdown. In an online survey during the first Dutch lockdown (April-May 2020), adolescents reported depressive symptoms and perceived peer connectedness, and parents reported family functioning.<h4>Results</h4>Twenty-four percent of adolescents reported clinically relevant symptoms of depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by earlier internalizing, but not externalizing symptoms. Furthermore, higher quality of family functioning, but not peer connectedness, predicted fewer adolescent depressive symptoms. Family functioning and peer connectedness did not moderate the link between pre-existing internalizing symptoms and later depressive symptoms.<h4>Conclusions</h4>In a low-risk community sample, one-in-four adolescents reported clinically relevant depressive symptoms at the first COVID-19 lockdown. Higher earlier internalizing symptoms and lower quality of family functioning increased risks. These results indicate that even in low-risk samples, a substantial group of adolescents and their families are vulnerable during times of crisis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:32:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c01f4bba77c34c009fda06471b9d98f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:32:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-c01f4bba77c34c009fda06471b9d98f02023-01-25T05:33:20ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01173e026496210.1371/journal.pone.0264962Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample.Stefania V VacaruRoseriet BeijersCarolina de Weerth<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown pose a threat for adolescents' mental health, especially for those with an earlier vulnerability. Accordingly, these adolescents may need increased support from family and friends. This study investigated whether family functioning and peer connectedness protects adolescents with earlier internalizing or externalizing symptoms from increased depressive symptoms during the first Dutch COVID-19 lockdown in a low-risk community sample.<h4>Methods</h4>This sample comprised 115 adolescents (Mage = 13.06; 44% girls) and their parents (N = 111) and is part of an ongoing prospective study on child development. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were self-reported a year before the COVID-19 lockdown. In an online survey during the first Dutch lockdown (April-May 2020), adolescents reported depressive symptoms and perceived peer connectedness, and parents reported family functioning.<h4>Results</h4>Twenty-four percent of adolescents reported clinically relevant symptoms of depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by earlier internalizing, but not externalizing symptoms. Furthermore, higher quality of family functioning, but not peer connectedness, predicted fewer adolescent depressive symptoms. Family functioning and peer connectedness did not moderate the link between pre-existing internalizing symptoms and later depressive symptoms.<h4>Conclusions</h4>In a low-risk community sample, one-in-four adolescents reported clinically relevant depressive symptoms at the first COVID-19 lockdown. Higher earlier internalizing symptoms and lower quality of family functioning increased risks. These results indicate that even in low-risk samples, a substantial group of adolescents and their families are vulnerable during times of crisis.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264962 |
| spellingShingle | Stefania V Vacaru Roseriet Beijers Carolina de Weerth Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample. PLoS ONE |
| title | Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample. |
| title_full | Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample. |
| title_fullStr | Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample. |
| title_short | Internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study in a community sample. |
| title_sort | internalizing symptoms and family functioning predict adolescent depressive symptoms during covid 19 a longitudinal study in a community sample |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264962 |
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