Twelfth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to increasing prevalence and severity of mental health (MH) symptoms among youth. Although job-related stress influenced deteriorating adult MH, less is known about how this impacted youth. We hypothesized that parental unemployment would negatively impact adolescent MH, but that adolescents who endorsed high resilience, the ability to positively adapt to difficult situations, would be less susceptible to the consequences. Adolescents were recruited through social media in March/April 2020, and completed self-reports about family, internalizing symptoms (GAD-7, PHQ-9) and resilience. Bimonthly follow-ups, through August 2021, assessed family circumstances and symptoms. Multi-level models, including sex/age, measured the influence of parental unemployment and resilience on MH. Participants (N=329) were 16.5 years old at baseline; 88% female. Approximately 40% participated in each follow-up. PHQ-9 (11.4-to-7.6) and GAD-7 (9.2-to-6.9) scores fell across follow-ups. A third (n=104) of participants experienced parental unemployment at baseline, falling to 11 by the final follow-up. Age (B=-0.69, p=0.004), resilience (B=-0.21, p<0.0001) predicted PHQ trajectory. Parental unemployment (B=0.73, p=0.040), resilience (B=-0.14, p<0.0001), male sex (B=2.58, p=0.011) predicted GAD trajectory. Parental unemployment was associated with anxiety, but not depression. Parent-to-child transmission of anxiety is well-documented; the impact of unemployment on youth may be mediated by parental anxiety/stress. Higher risk for anxiety among males was unexpected; gender differences in familial expectations (e.g., to contribute financially) may play a role. As expected, resilient adolescents were less susceptible to poor MH. Programs to build resilience could help protect vulnerable youth from the consequences of negative life events.