Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term trends in youth depression and anxiety

Adolescent depression and anxiety have been rising in recent decades. Although reviews point at deterioration of youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, how this relates to pre-pandemic trends is unclear. This narrative review examines whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the long-term development of depression and anxiety among adolescents. A systematic search in PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, and Embase identified longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional studies using random sampling among youth (11–25 years). Out of 4,761 articles, nine met inclusion criteria. Most studies (7 out of 9) reported rising anxiety and/or depression rates pre-pandemic. During the pandemic, two trends emerged: five studies observed an amplification of pre-existing increases, while four reported a continuation of prior trends, none pointing at improvement. The majority of studies support the hypothesis that COVID-19 exacerbated existing increases in anxiety and depression among adolescents and young adults. Additional longitudinal studies with randomized, general population samples are needed to determine post-pandemic developments.