Examining Children and Adolescent Mental Health Trajectories during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a year of the Co-SPACE Study

A major concern throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the impact on young people’s mental health. The objective of this study was to map children and adolescents’ mental health trajectories over thirteen months of the pandemic and examine whether family, peer, and individual-level factors were associated with different trajectories. The current study focuses on a convenience sub-sample from the Co-SPACE study of 3,322 children and adolescents (aged 4-16 years) for whom parents completed a baseline survey and at least one follow-up survey between March 2020 and May 2021. We used growth mixture models to examine distinct trajectories in emotional, conduct, and hyperactivity/inattention difficulties using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and multinomial logistic regression models to estimate factors associated with individual trajectory membership. The general trend in participating young people’s mental health appeared to follow changes in national guidelines. For distinct trends, a 5-trajectory model best explained the changes in emotional problems whilst 4-trajectory models best explained variation in hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problems. While most young people followed low stable (62%-85%) or moderate stable (28%) symptom trajectories, 14-31% experienced very high, high stable or increasing mental health difficulties. Young people following high stable trajectories were more likely to have special educational needs and/or neurodevelopmental disorders, parents who reported higher levels of stress and parent-child conflict and were less likely to have at least one close friend. Most participating young people experienced low stable symptoms but nearly one third experienced high stable or increasing mental health difficulties. Young people with complex needs and parents with higher psychological distress were particularly vulnerable to high stable mental health difficulties while those with positive peer relationships were less vulnerable. This study offers insight into potential factors that can be addressed using targeted interventions to improve the wellbeing of parents and young people in the event of future lockdowns and school closures.