2.85 Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescent Students Before, During, and “After” COVID-19

ObjectivesDepression is one of the most common mental health conditions among youth in the United States. Rates of depression nearly doubled in the past decade and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies found an increase in adolescent depressive symptoms early in the pandemic, with some showing a return to prepandemic levels since restrictions were lifted, yet few compared symptoms across different stages of the pandemic. Using school screening data, we examined changes in adolescent depressive symptoms before, during, and after COVID-19 disruptions to in-person school.MethodsAs part of an annual school-based depression prevention program, students in grades 7, 9, and 11 from a Boston-area school district received the Signs of Suicide educational curriculum and completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent (PHQ-A). The PHQ-A was administered virtually in 2020 due to COVID-19. Cross-sectional PHQ-A scores were compared from 2019 to 2021 to assess for differences in depressive symptoms by pandemic stage.ResultsDistrict enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year was 47.6% female and 79.8% White, non-Hispanic. Analyses included 607 seventh graders (ranging from 191-218 per year), 525 ninth graders (range 154-190), and 497 11th graders (range 156-179). A 1-way between-subjects ANOVA was conducted for each grade to compare differences in mean PHQ scores across years. Among seventh graders, there was a significant difference at the p < .05 level for the 3 years (F2,604 = 14.58; p < .001). Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) test indicated that the mean PHQ score for 2020 (M = 5.27; SD = 4.97) was significantly higher than in 2019 (M = 3.55; SD = 5.18) and 2021 (M = 2.69; SD = 4.10), which were not significantly different from each other. Similar ANOVA results were found for ninth (F2,522 = 4.53; p = .011) and 11th graders (F2,493 =3.79; p = .023) with the Tukey HSD tests showing that the 2021 mean PHQ scores were significantly lower than the 2020 scores for both grades.ConclusionsWe found significant decreases in PHQ scores across all grades between 2020 and 2021 upon return to in-person learning, with only seventh graders showing significantly increased symptoms during COVID-19 (from 2019 to 2020). This cross-sectional data spanning pandemic stages suggest that rates of adolescent depressive symptoms are returning to prepandemic levels.ADOL, SC, DDD ObjectivesDepression is one of the most common mental health conditions among youth in the United States. Rates of depression nearly doubled in the past decade and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies found an increase in adolescent depressive symptoms early in the pandemic, with some showing a return to prepandemic levels since restrictions were lifted, yet few compared symptoms across different stages of the pandemic. Using school screening data, we examined changes in adolescent depressive symptoms before, during, and after COVID-19 disruptions to in-person school. Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions among youth in the United States. Rates of depression nearly doubled in the past decade and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies found an increase in adolescent depressive symptoms early in the pandemic, with some showing a return to prepandemic levels since restrictions were lifted, yet few compared symptoms across different stages of the pandemic. Using school screening data, we examined changes in adolescent depressive symptoms before, during, and after COVID-19 disruptions to in-person school. MethodsAs part of an annual school-based depression prevention program, students in grades 7, 9, and 11 from a Boston-area school district received the Signs of Suicide educational curriculum and completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent (PHQ-A). The PHQ-A was administered virtually in 2020 due to COVID-19. Cross-sectional PHQ-A scores were compared from 2019 to 2021 to assess for differences in depressive symptoms by pandemic stage. As part of an annual school-based depression prevention program, students in grades 7, 9, and 11 from a Boston-area school district received the Signs of Suicide educational curriculum and completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent (PHQ-A). The PHQ-A was administered virtually in 2020 due to COVID-19. Cross-sectional PHQ-A scores were compared from 2019 to 2021 to assess for differences in depressive symptoms by pandemic stage. ResultsDistrict enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year was 47.6% female and 79.8% White, non-Hispanic. Analyses included 607 seventh graders (ranging from 191-218 per year), 525 ninth graders (range 154-190), and 497 11th graders (range 156-179). A 1-way between-subjects ANOVA was conducted for each grade to compare differences in mean PHQ scores across years. Among seventh graders, there was a significant difference at the p < .05 level for the 3 years (F2,604 = 14.58; p < .001). Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) test indicated that the mean PHQ score for 2020 (M = 5.27; SD = 4.97) was significantly higher than in 2019 (M = 3.55; SD = 5.18) and 2021 (M = 2.69; SD = 4.10), which were not significantly different from each other. Similar ANOVA results were found for ninth (F2,522 = 4.53; p = .011) and 11th graders (F2,493 =3.79; p = .023) with the Tukey HSD tests showing that the 2021 mean PHQ scores were significantly lower than the 2020 scores for both grades. District enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year was 47.6% female and 79.8% White, non-Hispanic. Analyses included 607 seventh graders (ranging from 191-218 per year), 525 ninth graders (range 154-190), and 497 11th graders (range 156-179). A 1-way between-subjects ANOVA was conducted for each grade to compare differences in mean PHQ scores across years. Among seventh graders, there was a significant difference at the p < .05 level for the 3 years (F2,604 = 14.58; p < .001). Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) test indicated that the mean PHQ score for 2020 (M = 5.27; SD = 4.97) was significantly higher than in 2019 (M = 3.55; SD = 5.18) and 2021 (M = 2.69; SD = 4.10), which were not significantly different from each other. Similar ANOVA results were found for ninth (F2,522 = 4.53; p = .011) and 11th graders (F2,493 =3.79; p = .023) with the Tukey HSD tests showing that the 2021 mean PHQ scores were significantly lower than the 2020 scores for both grades. ConclusionsWe found significant decreases in PHQ scores across all grades between 2020 and 2021 upon return to in-person learning, with only seventh graders showing significantly increased symptoms during COVID-19 (from 2019 to 2020). This cross-sectional data spanning pandemic stages suggest that rates of adolescent depressive symptoms are returning to prepandemic levels.ADOL, SC, DDD We found significant decreases in PHQ scores across all grades between 2020 and 2021 upon return to in-person learning, with only seventh graders showing significantly increased symptoms during COVID-19 (from 2019 to 2020). This cross-sectional data spanning pandemic stages suggest that rates of adolescent depressive symptoms are returning to prepandemic levels.