Sex Differences in Adolescent Depression Trajectory Before and Into the Second Year of COVID-19 Pandemic - 25/04/24
, Shuntaro Ando, MD, PhD b, Satoshi Yamaguchi, PhD c, Syudo Yamasaki, PhD c, Jordan DeVylder, PhD c, d, Mitsuhiro Miyashita, MD, PhD c, Kaori Endo, PhD c, Daniel Stanyon, MSc c, Gemma Knowles, PhD c, e, Miharu Nakanishi, RN, PhD c, f, g, Satoshi Usami, PhD b, Hiroyasu Iso, MD, PhD a, Toshi A. Furukawa, MD, PhD h, Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, PhD i, Kiyoto Kasai, MD, PhD b, j, Atsushi Nishida, MD, PhD cAbstract |
Objective |
Evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health is mixed and does not disentangle natural age-related changes. We compared depressive symptoms among 16-year-olds surveyed, at a fourth wave, before or during the pandemic, while accounting for expected trajectories of within-person change based on 3 prior waves.
Method |
In this longitudinal cohort of 3,171 adolescents in Tokyo, Japan, adolescents were grouped based on their age 16 survey timing: pre-pandemic (February 2019 to February 2020) and during-pandemic (March 2020 to September 2021). Depressive symptoms were self-reported using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. Mixed-effect models were fitted to assess group differences while controlling for previous trends. Variations by sex, household income, and pandemic phase (early, late first-year, and second-year) were examined.
Results |
Of 2,034 eligible adolescents, 960 (455 girls) were assessed before and 1,074 (515 girls) during the pandemic. Overall, depressive symptoms increased by 0.80 points (95% CI 0.28-1.31, 0.15 SD of the population average). This increase varied by sex and pandemic phase. For boys the increase emerged in the late first-year phase and enlarged in the second-year phase (mean difference from pre-pandemic: 1.69, 0.14-3.24), whereas for girls it decreased in the early school-closure phase (mean difference: –1.98, –3.54 to –0.41) and returned to the pre-pandemic level thereafter, with no additional increases during the pandemic.
Conclusion |
Into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, depressive symptoms of 16-year-olds worsened above the expected age-related change only in boys. Continuous monitoring and preventive approaches for adolescents at the population level are warranted.
Diversity & Inclusion Statement |
We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.
El texto completo de este artículo está disponible en PDF.Key words : COVID-19 pandemic, adolescent mental health, depressive symptoms, gender differences, longitudinal cohort
Esquema
| This study was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP20H01777, JP20H03951, JP21H05171, JP21H05173, JP21H05174, JP21K10487, and JP22H05211, by UTokyo Institute for Diversity and Adaptation of Human Mind (UTIDAHM), and the International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN) at The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS). |
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| The research was performed with permission from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), and the University of Tokyo’s Institutional Review Boards. |
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| Drs. Yamaguchi and Usami served as the statistical experts for this research. |
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| Author Contributions Drs. Hosozawa, Ando, and Nishida conceptualized and designed the study. Drs. Ando, Yamasaki, Miyashita, Endo, and Nishida collected the data. Dr. Hosozawa conducted the analysis with Drs. Yamaguchi and Usami and Dr. Yamaguchi verified the analysis. Dr. Hosozawa wrote the original draft. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the data, review, revision, and approval of the final manuscript. |
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| The authors thank the Tokyo Teen Cohort (TTC) families for their time and cooperation, as well as the TTC study team for the use of data. |
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| Disclosure: Dr. Ando has reported personal fees from Shionogi, Janssen, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Sumitomo Pharma, outside of the submitted work. Dr. Knowles has been supported by funding from the UK Economic and Social Research Council. Dr. Nakanishi has reported a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, and the Great Britain SASAKAWA Foundation, outside the submitted work. Prof. Iso has reported grants from Japan health insurance association, outside of the submitted work. Prof. Furukawa has reported personal fees from Boehringer-Ingelheim, DT Axis, Kyoto University Original, Shionogi and SONY, and a grant from Shionogi, outside the submitted work. In addition, Prof. Furukawa has patents 2020-548587 and 2022-082495 pending, and intellectual properties for Kokoro-app licensed to Mitsubishi-Tanabe. Prof. Kasai has received grants from Shionogi, Sumitomo, Eli Lilly Japan, Daiichi-Sankyo, Tanabe-Mitsubishi, Otsuka, Takeda, and Teijin; grant evaluation fees from Takeda and Astellas; honoraria for lectures from Takeda, Sumitomo, Otsuka, Meiji Seika Pharma, Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemicals, and Ricoh, outside the submitted work. Drs. Hosozawa, Yamaguchi, Yamasaki, DeVylder, Miyashita, Endo, and Usami, Prof. Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, Dr. Nishida, and Mr. Stanyon have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. |
Vol 63 - N° 5
P. 539-548 - mai 2024 Regresar al númeroBienvenido a EM-consulte, la referencia de los profesionales de la salud.
