




































Special Edition: Junior Clinical Research (2022), Vol. 2 No. S2 
 https://doi.org/10.47488/dhrp.v2iS2.47 

 

 
 

 
DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 11 2022, Vol. 2 No. S2 11-14 
 

 

COMMENTARY 

Changes in Adolescents’ Mental Health After 

COVID-19 

Stefany Estrada1,2, Itzel Loreto1,3, Maddox Mina1,4, Isaac Santoyo1,5, Amerie Varela1,6 

 

1 2nd Annual Junior Clinical Research Internship, South Texas Academy for Education & Training in Research, DHR Health 

Institute for Research & Development 
2 Port Isabel High School, Port Isabel, TX 
3 Zapata High School, Zapata TX 
4 Idea Pharr College Preparatory, Pharr, TX 
5 McAllen High School, McAllen, TX 
6 Weslaco High School, Weslaco, TX  

 

All correspondence should be addressed to Program Director, 2nd Annual Junior Clinical Research Internship Program, DHR 

Health Institute for Research & Development, 5323 S McColl Road, Edinburg Texas, 78539 

 

Received 06/17/2022 

Accepted for publication 07/14/2022 

Published 07/14/2022 

 

Keywords: COVID-19, Social isolation, Depression, Anxiety, Mental health, Loneliness, Pandemic, Adolescents 

 

Introduction 

In February 2020, The United States was shocked with 

a virus that abruptly changed citizens’ lives, 

particularly those of adolescents. Initially, Students 

were let out for an extended spring break, only to find 

out that they would not be returning to in-person 

instruction until further notice. COVID-19, also 

known as the coronavirus disease, was first discovered 

in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. Research has 

shown that specific viruses, such as beta coronaviruses 

and alpha coronaviruses, are known to have the main 

host be a bat or other zoonotic organism (1). An 

individual who contracts this disease may experience 

symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of 

breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body 

aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, 

congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and 

diarrhea (2). SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by direct or 

close contact with aerosolized particles of the virus 

thus causing a respiratory infection. To regulate 

transmission, society was put under a worldwide  

 

quarantine. Citizens were expected to stay in their 

houses, universal mask mandates were imposed, and 

copious amounts of hand sanitizer and disinfecting 

wipes were utilized like never before. Due to the social 

isolation brought along with this global pandemic, 

society has been presented with a staggering 60.8% 

increase in anxiety, a 54.1% increase in the feeling of 

loneliness, and a 59.8% increase in depression (3). The 

impact on society’s mental health was unparalleled.  

 

Social Isolation 

 
Social interaction is essential in a person's life, 

therefore government imposed lockdowns may cause 

isolation and loneliness. An article from 2020 stated 

that social isolation and loneliness increased the risk 

of depression, and possibly anxiety up to 9 years later. 

They also found that duration of loneliness was more 

strongly correlated with mental health symptoms than 

intensity of loneliness (4). Results from this study 

show that potential issues with depression and anxiety 

can follow the events of isolation. In the context of 



Estrada, et al  Adolescents Mental Health after COVID-19 
https://doi.org/10.47488/dhrp.v2iS2.47 

 

 
 

 
DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 12 2022, Vol. 2 No. S2 11-14 
 

COVID-19, we know that some students were forced 

to stay home to take care of their younger siblings, 

forced to go to work because their parents were 

unemployed due to COVID-19, or weren’t able to 

communicate with people because they didn’t have the 

financial and technological resources needed to 

communicate with others. Previous literature has also 

found that loneliness has been a factor for sensory loss, 

connective tissue, auto-immune disorders, 

cardiovascular disorders and obesity. If loneliness 

continues, it may decrease physical activity leading to 

an increased risk of frailty and fractures (5). The study 

shows that not only does social isolation affect mental 

health but physical as well. As researchers, there 

should be work to mitigate the effects of isolation in 

the youth population. Adolescents are likely to 

experience depression and anxiety during and after 

quarantine, so clinical services should offer support 

and interventions as well as be prepared for the 

increase of mental health problems. 

 

Depression 
 

Depression is a mental condition characterized by 

chronic sorrow and loss of interest. It affects how you 

feel, think, and behave and can lead to a variety of 

mental and physical difficulties. It is also known as 

major depressive disorder and is defined as “a sad 

mood lasts for a long time and begins to interfere with 

normal, everyday functions.” (6) In a study done on 

Chinese adolescents in Shanghai, a survey was 

distributed to 4,342 primary and secondary school 

students that included questions about their 

physiological distress, life satisfaction and perceived 

view on at-home quarantine. The results showed that 

depression was the second most prominent disease 

with (19.7%) of the participants developing new 

symptoms (7). Concerning, amongst the participants, 

each developed new issues, after being sent home for 

quarantine. Under-recognized and untreated 

depression and anxiety symptoms have deleterious 

effects on physical functioning and social interaction 

which would lead to an increase in fatigue (8).  In this 

study, depression also increased across participants 

due to the lack of student interaction within one 

another. As an additional burden, COVID-19 

restrictions kept students from attending practice, 

going to the gym or doing any sort of physical activity, 

which are important activities to combat signs of 

depression.  

 

These findings are not unique to adolescents suffering 

in Asia but also affecting children in North America. 

Similarly, in a study conducted on adolescents in the 

United States, an online questionnaire was used to 

gather information regarding students’ mental health 

post-lockdown. The results indicated that an alarming 

39% of the 1,948 participants developed symptoms of 

depression after the government-mandated lockdown 

(9). Common causes amongst students were fear of 

getting infected, being unaware of the effects of 

COVID-19, facing the rapid increase of cases, 

contemplating the detrimental outcomes including 

death, and having to adjust to a new environment of 

learning. With problems such as having to worry about 

not having the internet available, a less peaceful 

atmosphere where students can’t focus, especially if 

siblings participate in online classes, and not having 

the peace of mind that they are able to discuss their 

problems or questions to the professor easily, there’s 

no doubt students have developed some mental 

blockade from its notable effects. Similarly, both 

continents have both grown equally in depression 

cases, living in similar conditions (7,9). 

Anxiety 

Anxiety is the excessive, constant fear and 

intense worry about everyday situations. It is an 

emotion characterized by their feelings of tension and 

certain thoughts (10). People with anxiety disorders 

often have recurring thoughts or concerns that bother 

them. They may avoid certain situations out of fear, 

creating general anxiety. COVID-19 has caused 

adolescents to worry about getting sick during the 

pandemic, and constantly worrying about the future. 

Anxiety may also have physical symptoms such as 

sweating, trembling, dizziness or a fast heartbeat (10).  

 

Many young adolescents have suffered from 

anxiety throughout COVID-19, specifically from 

being isolated throughout the pandemic and not 

participating in any social interactions (11). Young 

children were left alone by working parents, 

unsupervised at home, which had an effect on many 

children creating separation anxiety. Bottling up many 

feelings and not being able to talk to someone was also 

a cause which created excessive feelings in many 

situations.  

 

Many families have also lost close relatives 

due to COVID-19 and did not have any social support, 

which caused them to be irritable and angry. The 

pandemic made it hard for many, specifically 

adolescents who were already struggling with mental 

health, bringing them a sense of loneliness and stress 

after being isolated in their own homes for a long 



Estrada, et al  Adolescents Mental Health after COVID-19 
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DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 13 2022, Vol. 2 No. S2 11-14 
 

period of time and then having to return to their 

original lives. Although being isolated caused many to 

encounter anxiety symptoms, having to return to the 

community, their normal routines and hide the 

setbacks in their academic and professional work has 

been difficult for many people (12). This can increase 

rates of elevated anxiety and depression symptoms in 

young adolescents, which can lead to frustration and 

helplessness.  

 

It is presumed that children might resist going 

to school after the lockdown is over and may face 

difficulty in establishing rapport with their mentors 

after the schools reopen. Consequently, the constraint 

of movement imposed on them can have a long term 

negative effect on their overall psychological 

wellbeing (13). Two studies have reported rates of 

anxiety ranging from 18.9% to 37.4% in young people 

during the pandemic (14). Because of school closure, 

it has influenced the behavior of many adolescents. 

Many school activities helped these teens with their 

physical and mental health. 

Conclusion 

 

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has presented 

society with many aspects, a large majority of them 

negatively impacting one's mental health. To name a 

few of these effects, social isolation, leading to 

loneliness and mental health issues, such as depression 

and anxiety. If one already had any of these issues, 

they would escalate to an unthought of extent and 

would lead to an increased rate of suicides. The result 

of this pandemic has caused a mental health impact 

that is just staggering. These emotional reactions were 

outcomes from being secluded from the world 

throughout COVID-19. This pandemic has had such a 

great impact on everyone, especially on adolescents 

affecting their mental health immensely. We can help 

our adolescents by taking them to a therapist where 

they can get help, where they can talk about their 

troubles or just somewhere we know they can get 

better. We are still trying to recover slowly but surely.  

 

Acknowledgments 

 

Dr. Monica Betancourt-Garcia, MD, Scientific 

Director; Melissa Eddie, MS, Program Manager; 

Xochitl Lopez, BS, Program Coordinator 

 

Funding 

Funded by DHR Health Institute for Research & 

Development; DHR Health; Region One ESC 

GEARUP College Ready, Career Set!; Region One 

ESC GEARUP College Now, Career Connected and 

Region One ESC PATHS 

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