Mental Health of Teens w/Quarantine

[AngB]

But significantly, that's not what the data showing (at least for the time frame of the study--a potentially problematic element as many of us pointed out!) with regards to teens.

I will say that "the younger ages" do NOT seem significantly worse off at least in my family. I was just reflecting on how it is hard to gauge what is going on with DS1 and DS2 (17 and 13yo) but our LITTLER kids (ages 9 and 7) are doing better in many metrics. They have a simpler rhythm and more time with their parents.

As for DH and I? We are unequivocally worse off. A lot of what is ailing us is the angry politics around this whole thing and having to navigate relationships with people who don't take COVID seriously. DH just had a coworkers father pass away. He was only in his late 50s. My next door neighbor (18) is awaiting test results. Our families are gathering in large groups and we miss them. They think we are weird.

That said, I feel like my personal COVID rant is that they opened the bars in my city before they opened the outdoor playgrounds (though eventually bars closed again and playgrounds JUST opened). That still makes me angry. I do think some of the decisions about opening, etc. have not really had the best interests of children in mind.

It INFURIATES me how fast they closed playgrounds down and how slow they were to reopen them! They opened around June for us and the first time I took my kids they were sooooo happy to just play.

[California]

That article is very reassuring. My tween and teens are doing very well. But I don’t like to generalize their experience- we haven’t had any financial upsets during the shut down, and know so many have lost jobs or businesses. Knock on wood, we haven’t lost anyone to Covid 19. Any of those factors would have changed our experience dramatically.

[jgenie]

That article is very reassuring. My tween and teens are doing very well. But I don’t like to generalize their experience- we haven’t had any financial upsets during the shut down, and know so many have lost jobs or businesses. Knock on wood, we haven’t lost anyone to Covid 19. Any of those factors would have changed our experience dramatically.

This is our experience as well. We are very, very lucky and I try to remember when I get irritated with the situation. I make a point of reminding my family how lucky we are. My kids miss my family terribly. I’m praying they remain healthy so we can visit them next summer.

[westwoodmom04]

But significantly, that's not what the data showing (at least for the time frame of the study--a potentially problematic element as many of us pointed out!) with regards to teens.

I will say that "the younger ages" do NOT seem significantly worse off at least in my family. I was just reflecting on how it is hard to gauge what is going on with DS1 and DS2 (17 and 13yo) but our LITTLER kids (ages 9 and 7) are doing better in many metrics. They have a simpler rhythm and more time with their parents.

As for DH and I? We are unequivocally worse off. A lot of what is ailing us is the angry politics around this whole thing and having to navigate relationships with people who don't take COVID seriously. DH just had a coworkers father pass away. He was only in his late 50s. My next door neighbor (18) is awaiting test results. Our families are gathering in large groups and we miss them. They think we are weird.

That said, I feel like my personal COVID rant is that they opened the bars in my city before they opened the outdoor playgrounds (though eventually bars closed again and playgrounds JUST opened). That still makes me angry. I do think some of the decisions about opening, etc. have not really had the best interests of children in mind.

Actually the data does show that, the study cited by op is an outlier. I linked to four others above specific to teens and kids that found increased anxiety, depression and sadness since covid started. I could have linked to a dozen others—interestingly this effect is not limited to US, studies have reached similar conclusions in Europe and China.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

my thoughts after skimming the article

- there are a ton of kids who had anxiety/depression (or experienced bullying or other harassment) BEFORE the pandemic and it was improved by virtual learning. i can imagine teens who were afraid to go to school for many reasons (fear of violence, school shootings, bullying).

-my both kids (4th and 5th grade) repeatedly say they prefer virtual learning. my 5th grader probably says it on a daily basis. he would always complain before about school in general before but never now. this kid is in seventh-heaven honestly. he is 10 and super tech-savvy. only hangs out outside with kids from 1 other friend who is super strict re: covid protocols. i should note that we are extremely privileged and have a large enough house where there is lots of room for study, play etc and both dh and i can work from home.

i know maybe this sounds cynical or cold-hearted, but i honestly get annoyed sometimes when people who claim how missing daily social interactions for a period of time (for the purposes to save lives) and how it's "unnatural" and "unhealthy", and they are "forced" to live in some cruel world. Okay...so what do they think introverts have been doing their entire lives? pre-pandemic, lots of shy kids, anxious, introverted kids/teens have been going to school, putting a brave face on, needing to be around loud people, nosy people, bullies, rude teachers, etc every single day for years, and no one apparently thought twice of it and potential effects.

[Myira]

ms.pacman;4379130]my thoughts after skimming the article

- there are a ton of kids who had anxiety/depression (or experienced bullying or other harassment) BEFORE the pandemic and it was improved by virtual learning. i can imagine teens who were afraid to go to school for many reasons (fear of violence, school shootings, bullying).

-my both kids (4th and 5th grade) repeatedly say they prefer virtual learning. my 5th grader probably says it on a daily basis. he would always complain before about school in general before but never now. this kid is in seventh-heaven honestly. he is 10 and super tech-savvy. only hangs out outside with kids from 1 other friend who is super strict re: covid protocols. i should note that we are extremely privileged and have a large enough house where there is lots of room for study, play etc and both dh and i can work from home.

i know maybe this sounds cynical or cold-hearted, but i honestly get annoyed sometimes when people who claim how missing daily social interactions for a period of time (for the purposes to save lives) and how it's "unnatural" and "unhealthy", and they are "forced" to live in some cruel world. Okay...so what do they think introverts have been doing their entire lives? pre-pandemic, lots of shy kids, anxious, introverted kids/teens have been going to school, putting a brave face on, needing to be around loud people, nosy people, bullies, rude teachers, etc every single day for years, and no one apparently thought twice of it and potential effects.

Yeah that to this entire post. I am an introvert and while I would never wish anything like this horrible pandemic situation happen to the world, I am in a happy and comfortable space right now. I find people interactions draining and I save up so much mental energy when I can avoid those.
Also honestly. my DS is enjoying school since august without any of the bully issues that accompany school. DD also is quite happy to not have to deal with annoying characters(middle school is rife with it), although she misses interacting with her friends in person. But we have found ways to meet out in the park or in the backyard with her best friend, a family that’s following all social distancing and masking protocols and we feel on the same page with.

Life is a game of personality, as I like to say always. And there seems to be no acceptance for introverts in society in general.


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[bisous]

Actually the data does show that, the study cited by op is an outlier. I linked to four others above specific to teens and kids that found increased anxiety, depression and sadness since covid started. I could have linked to a dozen others—interestingly this effect is not limited to US, studies have reached similar conclusions in Europe and China.

I looked through your studies and they don't seem to be telling as strong of a story as I seem to hear in the media or that you are insinuating. I am not saying that there isn't a huge impact on teens and their mental health but it seems like most of the articles say that the long term effects can't be determined yet and that there was already a mental health crisis prior to the pandemic.

I'm pushing back a little bit not because I don't think it is important to consider the mental health aspects for our kids but because I feel like "both sides" are citing statistics that push their own causes, whether that calls for increased protective measures for COVID or an opening of the economy. Increasingly I feel like studies are a dime a dozen. I've been spoiled by TWIV as a source of sanity for information on the scientific aspects of the virus. I'd love to find a similar panel that dissects these other psychological and sociological aspects of the pandemic with the same level of expertise and carefulness.

I think we can do better for our kids and teens and still be careful so that is my personal bias but also my hope. I still see the pandemic as an opportunity to get better at things we weren't great at. We weren't a very healthy society for teen mental health before--it would be wonderful to learn some lessons and improve things for our teens.

[Myira]

If we are talking about teen mental health, I would not be surprised if social media and device usage in general ranks at the top of the list for factors that lower self esteem, and increase anxiety. I wonder if the upping of device and screen time during the pandemic has a role to play in these numbers. There are more and more apps and platforms being born and added to the mix all the time that this teen population has to deal with for garnering their attention, keeping up with peers etc.


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[legaleagle]

I wonder if COVID is making more visible pre-existing anxiety/depression from the already acknowledged mental health crisis? When you're around your parents 24/7 it's a lot harder to hide your emotional state, plus teens may be more open about it since in some ways anxiety/depression is normalized on a societal level.

That said, my oldest is 12 so I don't have a teen. My 12 & 10 boys are introverts and 10 year old was already not a fan of school (adhd and anxiety), my 12 year old gets his social interaction gaming. My 8 yo girl is a huge extrovert and is doing the worst but really is still fine because she's a glass half full person and we're still seeing my mom & my sister and her family. My 4 yo was living his best life over the summer being with family and not having to go to daycare.

[smilequeen]

my thoughts after skimming the article

- there are a ton of kids who had anxiety/depression (or experienced bullying or other harassment) BEFORE the pandemic and it was improved by virtual learning. i can imagine teens who were afraid to go to school for many reasons (fear of violence, school shootings, bullying).

-my both kids (4th and 5th grade) repeatedly say they prefer virtual learning. my 5th grader probably says it on a daily basis. he would always complain before about school in general before but never now. this kid is in seventh-heaven honestly. he is 10 and super tech-savvy. only hangs out outside with kids from 1 other friend who is super strict re: covid protocols. i should note that we are extremely privileged and have a large enough house where there is lots of room for study, play etc and both dh and i can work from home.

i know maybe this sounds cynical or cold-hearted, but i honestly get annoyed sometimes when people who claim how missing daily social interactions for a period of time (for the purposes to save lives) and how it's "unnatural" and "unhealthy", and they are "forced" to live in some cruel world. Okay...so what do they think introverts have been doing their entire lives? pre-pandemic, lots of shy kids, anxious, introverted kids/teens have been going to school, putting a brave face on, needing to be around loud people, nosy people, bullies, rude teachers, etc every single day for years, and no one apparently thought twice of it and potential effects.

You know that there is a spectrum even among introverts, right? Just because there is a small segment of introverts that love things this way, doesn't mean that it is not unnatural or unhealthy for a majority of people.

I'm an introvert too and the beginnings of all of this were totally great for me. But I don't thrive on ZERO face to face interaction and it really started to wear on me and depress me. I don't need much, but no one on one conversations, no hugs from family or a great friend. I found that very depressing even though I don't need much of it. My 2 older boys are introverts too. They don't need much, but they need SOMETHING. Nothing is unhealthy for most people. And then you have a large segment of the population who are not introverts and the toll on them isn't unimportant just because "ha ha ha, now you know how I feel every day". Not to mention someone like me, an introvert who needs quiet trying to live with my youngest son, an extrovert who needs constant interaction. That was not exactly fun all the time either.

Everyone needs different things. I want very much for people to understand and appreciate that about introverts in day to day interactions, but that doesn't mean that the feelings of people who need more aren't also valid.