Stressors for Youth during COVID-19: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This narrative review is a summary of published studies and reviews on stressors that youth have experienced during COVID-19. Most of the literature is focused on infection effects on pregnancy, the neonate, children and adolescents as well as Long COVID in youth. Although most youth have not experienced COVID infection or Long COVID, they have had other negative experiences during COVID-19. These have included lockdown school closings and exposure to aggression and violence. Related mental health problems have included loneliness, anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress and suicidality. These mental health problems have been associated with excessive screen time/social media, inactivity, over-eating/unhealthy diet and sleep disturbances. Limitations of this literature include the typically absent baseline data and the questionable reliability of parents reporting on the activities and feelings of their youth.