• search hit 1 of 1
Back to Result List

Three years into the pandemic: results of the longitudinal German COPSY study on youth mental health and health-related quality of life

  • Purpose For the past three years, the German longitudinal COPSY (COVID-19 and PSYchological Health) study has monitored changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the mental health of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A nationwide, population-based survey was conducted in May–June 2020 (W1), December 2020–January 2021 (W2), September–October 2021 (W3), February 2022 (W4), and September–October 2022 (W5). In total, n = 2,471 children and adolescents aged 7–17 years (n = 1,673 aged 11–17 years with self-reports) were assessed using internationally established and validated measures of HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ), anxiety (SCARED), depressive symptoms (CES-DC, PHQ-2), psychosomatic complaints (HBSC-SCL), and fear about the future (DFS-K). Findings were compared to prepandemic population-based data. Results While the prevalence of low HRQoL increased from 15% prepandemic to 48% at W2, it improved to 27% at W5. Similarly, overall mental health problems rose from 18% prepandemic to W1 through W2 (30–31%), and since then slowly declined (W3: 27%, W4: 29%, W5: 23%). Anxiety doubled from 15% prepandemic to 30% in W2 and declined to 25% (W5) since then. Depressive symptoms increased from 15%/10% (CES-DC/PHQ-2) prepandemic to 24%/15% in W2, and slowly decreased to 14%/9% in W5. Psychosomatic complaints are across all waves still on the rise. 32–44% of the youth expressed fears related to other current crises. Conclusion Mental health of the youth improved in year 3 of the pandemic, but is still lower than before the pandemic.

Export metadata

Additional Services

Share in Twitter Search Google Scholar
Metadaten
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Author(s):Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, Janine Devine, Ann-Kathrin Napp, Anne Kaman, Lynn Saftig, Martha Gilbert, Franziska Reiß, Constanze Löffler, Anja Miriam Simon, Klaus HurrelmannORCiD, Sabine Walper, Robert Schlack, Heike Hölling, Lothar Heinz Wieler, Michael Erhart
Parent Title (English):Frontiers in Public Health
ISSN:2296-2565
Publication year:2023
Publishing Institution:Hertie School
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1129073
Release Date:2024/07/16
Volume:11
AY 22/23:AY 22/23
Licence of document (German):Metadaten / metadata
Verstanden ✔
Diese Webseite verwendet technisch erforderliche Session-Cookies. Durch die weitere Nutzung der Webseite stimmen Sie diesem zu. Unsere Datenschutzerklärung finden Sie hier.