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

Abstract Research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic had adverse effects on adolescent well-being, particularly among vulnerable groups. However, little is known about the duration of these negative changes and whether they persisted after restrictions had been lifted. Addressing this question, we used data from more than 500,000 Norwegian adolescents assessed repeatedly between 2014 and 2022. Multilevel societal growth curve analyses showed that even after Norway lifted all pandemic-related restrictions, adolescents reported lower satisfaction with peer relationships and less optimistic future life expectations, but less feelings of loneliness compared to long-term nationwide trend estimates. Moderation analyses revealed that adolescents from poor families and with low parental educational attainment suffered more adverse changes both during and after the pandemic in in a variety of domains. These results provide the first indications that widening social inequality among adolescents brought forth during the pandemic might be of more permanent nature.