Diminished Adolescent Social Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Michael J. Furlong (), Mei-ki Chan, Erin Dowdy and Karen Nylund-Gibson
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Michael J. Furlong: University of California Santa Barbara
Mei-ki Chan: Utah State University
Erin Dowdy: University of California Santa Barbara
Karen Nylund-Gibson: University of California Santa Barbara

Child Indicators Research, 2024, vol. 17, issue 2, No 17, 930 pages

Abstract: Abstract Managing the COVID-19 pandemic involved implementing public health policies that disrupted students’ lives, creating conditions that substantially influenced their mental health and well-being. Subsequently, research focused on the mental health sequelae of increased depression and anxiety, but the possible impacts on adolescents’ social well-being have been largely unexamined. Social well-being is essential to youth’s overall mental health and can be diminished even without symptoms of depression and anxiety. This report explored heterogeneities in changes in adolescents’ social well-being from pre-COVID-19 to post-restrictions using longitudinal data from adolescents attending middle and high schools in California (N = 1,299; 49.9% female). Data collection involved four observations. Participants completed a school-based mental health wellness survey annually from 2019 to 2022. A latent profile analysis identified five profiles demonstrating distinctive social well-being trajectories. Two ordered profiles included Stable-High (28%) and Stable-Low (26%) patterns. Three groups represented nonordered profiles labeled as Succumbing (20%), Languishing (14%), and Recovering (12%). Pervasive decreases in social well-being were observed, and a significant portion of the adolescents did not recover to their pre-COVID-19 level by 2022. Adolescents in the Stable-High and Recovering profiles showed better psychological well-being, optimism, and school connectedness and less distress than their counterparts in the other three profiles. Mental health professionals should be aware of the pandemic’s effects on adolescents’ social well-being. Lower levels of social well-being may be a risk factor for adolescents developing generally jaded attitudes about their social networks and diminishing their potential engagement with sources of social support.

Keywords: Social well-being; COVID-19 pandemic; Adolescents; Mental health; Homeostasis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s12187-024-10108-7

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