Changes in anxiety among youth with and without disabilities before, during and after the pandemic

Abstract Background Disabled youth are a vulnerable group that have faced challenges during the pandemic. Research about mental health and its changes of disabled youth during and after the pandemic is limited. Thus, this study examined changes in anxiety symptoms among youth with disabilities compared to those without disabilities before, during, and after the pandemic. Methods We analyzed population-based cross-sectional data from the Finnish School Health Promotion study (SHP) of youths with an age range of 12-29 years obtained in before (2019; n = 155,166), during (2021; n = 160,796), and after (2023; n = 151,224) the pandemic. Disabled youth were identified based on the Child Functioning Module (CFM). Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Logistic regression models were applied to investigate population-level changes in anxiety. Results Over the years, the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was higher among youth with disabilities (10.2%, CI95% 10.1-10.4) compared to youth without disabilities (40.1%, 39.9-40.4), females having more symptoms than males. Prevalence of anxiety increased significantly during the pandemic (Before: 31.7% 95%CI 31.2-32.3 & During: 41.8%, 41.4-42.3) and continued to increase slightly after (44.4%, 43.9-44.9) among disabled youth. The same trend was seen in non-disabled youth (Before: 7.5%, 7.4-7.7, During: 11.4%, 11.2-11.6 & After: 12.0%, 11.8-12.2). Conclusions The prevalence of anxiety among disabled youth increased during the pandemic and has continued to increase even afterward, highlighting the inequality among youth with disabilities. The results indicate that it is important for educators and stakeholders to target measures and resources to support the mental health of youth with disabilities during and after a crisis, improving their equality in schools and society. Key messages • Youth with disabilities experienced anxiety symptoms four times more often than non-disabled youth, and this difference has remained quite stable during the pandemic and afterwards. • Decision-makers should be aware of this weaker mental health condition of youth with disabilities while planning preventive actions and interventions.