Three Years into the Pandemic: Results of the Longitudinal German COPSY Study on Youth Mental Health and Health-related Quality of Life

Overview

Journal Front Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2023 Jul 3

PMID 37397777

Authors

Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer

Janine Devine

Ann-Kathrin Napp

Anne Kaman

Lynn Saftig

Martha Gilbert

Franziska Reiss

Constanze Loffler

Anja Miriam Simon

Klaus Hurrelmann

Sabine Walper

Robert Schlack

Heike Holling

Lothar Heinz Wieler

Michael Erhart

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: For the past three years, the German longitudinal COPSY () study has monitored changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the mental health of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A nationwide, population-based survey was conducted in May-June 2020 (W1), December 2020-January 2021 (W2), September-October 2021 (W3), February 2022 (W4), and September-October 2022 (W5). In total, = 2,471 children and adolescents aged 7-17 years ( = 1,673 aged 11-17 years with self-reports) were assessed using internationally established and validated measures of HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ), anxiety (SCARED), depressive symptoms (CES-DC, PHQ-2), psychosomatic complaints (HBSC-SCL), and fear about the future (DFS-K). Findings were compared to prepandemic population-based data.

Results: While the prevalence of low HRQoL increased from 15% prepandemic to 48% at W2, it improved to 27% at W5. Similarly, overall mental health problems rose from 18% prepandemic to W1 through W2 (30-31%), and since then slowly declined (W3: 27%, W4: 29%, W5: 23%). Anxiety doubled from 15% prepandemic to 30% in W2 and declined to 25% (W5) since then. Depressive symptoms increased from 15%/10% (CES-DC/PHQ-2) prepandemic to 24%/15% in W2, and slowly decreased to 14%/9% in W5. Psychosomatic complaints are across all waves still on the rise. 32-44% of the youth expressed fears related to other current crises.

Conclusion: Mental health of the youth improved in year 3 of the pandemic, but is still lower than before the pandemic.

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