The COVID-19 Pandemic and Adolescents’ Psychological Distress: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study

Hang T. M. Nguyen, Hoang V. Nguyen, Btissame Zouini, Meftaha Senhaji, Kourosh Bador, Zsuzsa Szombathyne Meszaros, Dejan Stevanovic and Nóra Kerekes
Additional contact information
Hang T. M. Nguyen: Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam
Hoang V. Nguyen: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Btissame Zouini: UAE/U24FS, FS, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan 90100, Morocco
Meftaha Senhaji: UAE/U24FS, FS, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan 90100, Morocco
Kourosh Bador: AGERA KBT, 41138 Gothenburg, Sweden
Zsuzsa Szombathyne Meszaros: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Dejan Stevanovic: Department of Psychiatry, Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Nóra Kerekes: Department of Health Sciences, University West, 46132 Trollhattan, Sweden

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has continued for more than two years, and the impact of this pandemic on mental health has become one of the most important research topics in psychiatry and psychology. The aim of the present study was to assess psychological distress in adolescents across five countries (Sweden, Morocco, Serbia, Vietnam, and the United States of America) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using nonparametric analyses we examined the impact of COVID-19 on distress, measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, in a sample of 4670 adolescents. Results: Our results showed that the association between the COVID-19 impact and psychological distress in adolescents’ lives was positive and moderate in Morocco and Serbia, positive and weak in Vietnam and the United States of America, and negative and weak in Sweden. We also found that female adolescents reported higher distress levels than male adolescents. Conclusions: COVID-19 impacted adolescents and their psychological distress differently depending on their residence.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; brief symptom inventory; adolescents; gender; nationality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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