Associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Pandemic-Related Stress and the Impact on Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vulnerabilities of adolescents during times of crisis have been previously identified, but little research has investigated the compounding effects of lifetime adversities and pandemic-related stress on adolescent mental health. This study uses adolescent self-report data to model relationships between stress exposures and indicators of poor mental health from the longitudinal COVID Experiences (CovEx) Surveys. These surveys were administered online in English to U.S. adolescents ages 13–19 using the NORC AmeriSpeak® panel, a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. Two waves of data were collected (Wave 1: October–November 2020, n = 727; Wave 2: March–May 2021, n = 569). Measures included demographics, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs, 8 items), pandemic-related stress (Pandemic-Related Stress Index [PRSI], 7 items), and depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents [PHQ-A], 9 items). Path analyses were conducted to examine pathways between Wave 1 ACEs, Wave 1 PRSI, and Wave 2 PHQ with covariates of sex and race/ethnicity. Females had higher ACEs, PRSI, and PHQ scores than males. The PRSI score at Wave 1 was positively associated with the PHQ at Wave 2 ( b = 0.29, SE = 0.14, p < 0.001). ACEs at Wave 1 were positively associated with PRSI at Wave 1 ( b = 0.31, SE = 0.03, p < 0.001) and with PHQ at Wave 2 ( b = 0.32, SE = 0.12, p < 0.001). The direct effect of ACEs on PHQ ( b = 0.23, SE = 0.12, p < 0.001) remained significant even after accounting for the indirect effect of pandemic-related stress ( b = 0.09, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001). Pandemic-related stress had a direct, adverse impact on adolescent depressive symptoms and demonstrates a compounding effect of childhood adversity and pandemic-related stress on depression. Findings can aid the design of interventions that promote mental health and support adolescent coping and recovery.