Adolescent psychopathological profiles and the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: According to cross-sectional studies, public health measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 are associated with adverse effects, including high level of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Aims: This study explored adolescent psychopathological profiles at age 17, and their role in predicting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at age 19. Methods: The analyses used a sample of 904 participants (mean age = 19.17 years) from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) sweep 7 who completed the mental health questions from January 2018 to March 2019 (mean age = 17.18 years) and the COVID-19 Survey in May 2020. Adolescent psychopathological profiles were identified by means of latent class analysis. Results: Four psychopathological profiles were identified: “low-symptom class” (60.17% of participants), “high-symptom class” (23.01% of participants), “substance/behavioural addictions class” (12.03% of participants), and “emotion-dysregulation class” (4.79% of participants). Adolescents in the high-symptom and emotional-dysregulation classes had the worst outcome during the lockdown. Specifically, they experienced more stress, conflict and loneliness, and lower levels of perceived social support than adolescents in the other psychopathological classes. Adolescents in the emotional-dysregulation class also consumed more alcohol and had worse financial situation during the lockdown compared to pre- lockdown period. Conclusion: Adolescent psychopathological profiles predicted the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.