“My Life during the Lockdown”: Emotional Experiences of European Adolescents during the COVID-19 Crisis

Alberto Forte, Massimiliano Orri, Martina Brandizzi, Cecilia Iannaco, Paola Venturini, Daniela Liberato, Claudia Battaglia, Isabel Nöthen-Garunja, Maria Vulcan, Asja Brusìc, Lauro Quadrana, Olivia Cox, Sara Fabbri and Elena Monducci
Additional contact information
Alberto Forte: European Network for Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 00154 Rome, Italy
Massimiliano Orri: McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
Martina Brandizzi: Department of Psychiatry, ASL Roma 1, 00193 Rome, Italy
Cecilia Iannaco: European Network for Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 00154 Rome, Italy
Paola Venturini: European Network for Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 00154 Rome, Italy
Daniela Liberato: European Network for Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 00154 Rome, Italy
Claudia Battaglia: European Network for Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 00154 Rome, Italy
Isabel Nöthen-Garunja: European Network for Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 00154 Rome, Italy
Maria Vulcan: Timișoara 2021—European Capital of Culture Association, 300057 Timișoara, Romania
Asja Brusìc: Rijeka 2020—European Capital of Culture, Croatian Cultural Centre, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Lauro Quadrana: Policlinico Umberto I, 00185 Rome, Italy
Olivia Cox: Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
Sara Fabbri: Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
Elena Monducci: Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: This study investigates, using an online self-report questionnaire, adolescents’ emotional reactions during the lockdown in a sample of 2105 secondary school students (aged 14–19) in Italy, Romania, and Croatia. We used a self-reported online questionnaire (answers on a 5-point scale or binary), composed of 73 questions investigating the opinions, feelings, and emotions of teenagers, along with sociodemographic information and measures of the exposure to lockdown. The survey was conducted online through a web platform in Italy (between 27 April and 15 June 2020), Romania, and Croatia (3 June and 2 July 2020). Students aged >14 years, living in a small flat, and not spending time outside were more likely to report anger, sadness, boredom/emptiness, and anxiety. Boys were significantly less likely than girls to report all measured emotional reactions. Those who lost someone from COVID-19 were more than twice as likely to experience anger compared to those who did not. Our findings may help identifying adolescents more likely to report negative emotional reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic and inform public health strategies for improving mental health among adolescents during/after the COVID-19 crisis.

Keywords: adolescents; lockdown; emotional reactions; school-students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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