Psychosocial well-being before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide study of more than half a million Norwegian adolescents

Research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on adolescent psychosocial well-being, but little is known as to whether these changes persisted after pandemic-related restrictions were lifted. Addressing this issue, we examined whether declines in well-being remained after the pandemic and whether adverse changes during and after the pandemic varied according to parental socioeconomic status and adolescents’ sex and age. We used data from more than 500,000 Norwegian adolescents, assessed annually between 2014 and 2022. Multilevel analyses showed that after Norway lifted all restrictions, adolescents reported lower satisfaction with peer relationships and less-optimistic future life expectations, but less loneliness compared with long-term trends. Moderation analyses revealed that girls, younger adolescents and adolescents from poor families and with low parental education suffered more adverse changes both during and after the pandemic across several domains. These findings indicate a need for policy interventions targeting social inequalities in adolescent well-being.