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The effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on adolescents’ Mental Health and what supports
are in place to help them

Nathaly Rangel, JI142

CTL7006: Research 1
Maria Karmiris
February, 11th, 2023
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The effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on adolescents’ Mental Health and what supports
are in place to help them

Though the height of the pandemic seems to have passed, and many places have lowered

or removed their Corona Virus measures the effects of the two years of social distancing and

shutdowns still remain. It has been more than 2 years since the start of the Pandemic, and though

for many life has gone back to usual, many places still are under Work From Home Orders, and

many students are still learning in hybrid and virtual settings. Although these measures were

necessary, the effects it had on society on a variety of levels, economically, on education, and

health both mental and physical cannot be denied (Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021). And these effects

are still being felt on every level as society begins to try to adjust back to ‘normal’, and it can

especially by felt by students. Students spend all their formative years in school, developing their

identities, forming peer groups, and learning social skills, there is also the importance of the

consistency of a school routine too many, and for many these things were paused or delayed due

to the switch to online learning (Lee, 2020; Scott et al., 2020). As stated by Scott et al. (2020),

“Recent theoretical work suggests online learning poses significant barriers for adolescents

[9,11], although there is little data examining the effect of losing in-person schooling due to the

COVID-19 pandemic.” (p. 263). Online learning can already be a cause of stress for students,

can be a cause of issues for students both socially and academically, and to add a pandemic to

that may serve to only compound these effects, and much of the research I have read has

suggested as much (Hasan & Bao 2020; Knipp 2022). Students were very quickly made to

switch from in-person to online distance learning, losing the ability to physically see their

friends, hold the material they were learning about, and freely ask their teachers questions about

material face to face (Bjørknes et al., 2021). So, although two years have passed and students are
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now returning to school and in person learning I wanted to look into the effects the Pandemic

had on adolescents, specifically their mental health, and what is being done/what can be done

about it.

To me, this is an important topic for a variety of reasons; for one, as someone who has

studied psychology and struggles with mental health myself I know how important it is to

understand the causes and effects of someone’s emotional state, to be able to better help them,

but also that the way youth experience Mental Health issues can be different than adults, so it is

even more important to be able to identify the potential adverse effects they may struggle with

due to the pandemic. While the social distancing and lockdown measures the pandemic put in

place were made to help, that does not mean we cannot acknowledge the damage it may have

caused to the youth that had to adjust their lives around it. Adolescents did not have an easier

time with the pandemic than adults, they had their lives upended just the same, and many, unlike

adults, were too young to be able to be able to freely change and adapt their lifestyles in ways

that may have been beneficial. There is a limit to what an adolescent can do to support their

mental health without external support, and while this is true for all it is especially true for young

people who need parental or school permission for many aspects of their life. Mental Health is a

constantly developing topic, and I find it important to always be deepening our knowledge and

understanding of it especially during times such as a pandemic.

To help guide me through my research I approached this topic with three questions: ‘1.

How has COVID-19 affected the mental health of students, especially in terms of symptoms of

anxiety and depression?’; ‘2. What factors, if any, play a greater role in exacerbating any

possible symptoms of anxiety and depression?’; and ‘3. What preventative measures, if any, have

arisen during this time?’. And from these questions I was able to find some common themes that
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came up across many of the articles I read, even if some focused more on one specifically. These

themes can be described as ‘the increase in stress and depression in adolescents, and the varying

factors that effect it’, ‘the way adolescents coped during the pandemic, both positive and

negative’, and ‘the support, and the lack of it, students receive from school and school services

regarding mental health’. Through this literature review I hope to both provide an overview on

the current perspectives that exist within the literature on the topic of Student Mental Health both

during and after the Covid-19 Pandemic, as well as expand on its implications and where we can

and should go from here, especially to provide adolescents with the support they need to succeed

and grow after such a turbulent time.

An increase is depression and anxiety, the causes and factors of why

From reading through the literature, it became clear that the Pandemic as well as

online/distance learning has had a negative effect on the mental health of students over the past

two years, and that these effects have persisted even after a return to in person learning once

again. During the Covid-19 lockdown students did report an increase in feelings of depression

and anxiety, many struggling with feelings of loneliness (Demaray et al., 2021; Gazmararian et

al., 2021; Lee, 2020). That the isolation caused by the pandemic led to an increase in mental

health issues such as depression and anxiety might not sound surprising, there are however many

different factors and causes that led to these feelings and though they all might stem from the

pandemic itself it is important to be able to distinguish between them and the different feelings

and effects they can cause in those who feel them. Feelings of depression caused by isolation, by

the feeling of loss caused by missed events (i.e; events like prom/graduation), and the death of a

loved one; feelings of anxiety caused by worry over themself or a loved one contracting the

virus, worry over academic outcomes due to the academic disparity they may feel due to online
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leaning and stress from being unsure of where to go from here, were just some of the variety of

factors adolescents attributed to their feelings and mental health concerns amongst the research

reviewed (Bjørknes et al., 2021; Scott et al., 2021). Not every student is the same, factors both

internal and external affect how they feel and react to stimuli and situations, so that the majority

of them report an increased feeling of depression and/or anxiety while reporting different reasons

and causes for those feelings is to be expected to an extent. It is important to note these

differences as the help a student might need in overcoming and moving on from the lingering

negative effects of the pandemic is rooted in the how and why they feel the way they do. As such

it is not only important to know these different factors but to understand why adolescents may

feel this way.

Academic success was one of the most common reasons for an increase in anxiety, also

leading towards depression when students became overly anxious over how this may effect their

prospects for the future, whether the future they envisioned could even come to pass (Bjørknes et

al., 2021; Hasan & Bao, 2020). While at first academic success might seem like an unimportant

concern when considering all the other concerns and dilemmas that may arise during a pandemic

it is important to remember that, as stated in the introduction, students spend their formative

years, their entire lives from ages 6-18, in school. As such, the weight they place upon it can be

very high, for many students their academic success is very important to them and they work

hard to maintain their personal standards (Bjørknes et al., 2021; Gazmaraian et all 2021). This is

especially true as students move onto the intermediate/senior grades, where many begin to worry

and plan for their futures, what high school they want to go to, what university they will head to

from there. As such, when adolescents view their education as so important and integral to their

lives and future, it becomes clear why fear of falling behind academically, and possible negative
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effects to their future academic outcomes, is such an important priority to them, even as it begins

to negatively affect them, increasing their feelings of anxiety and stress (Bjørknes et al., 2021;

Weisbrot & Ryst 2020). As educators, this is one of the primary concerns that we can help with

as we are responsible for students academic success, however it is important to focus both on

reassuring and dealing with student stress/anxiety over their academics and not just focus on the

academic aspect as many schools have been doing (Vestal, 2021). Part of mitigating the negative

effects of the pandemic on student mental health is not just helping them catch up from any loss

in academics but to help them process the emotions they may be feeling from falling behind. A

student that is anxious over their grades and catching up will have worse academic outcomes

than a student without those same anxieties (Weisbrot & Ryst 2020).

This is an example of why it is so important to be able to recognise the different factors

adolescents face when dealing with their mental health, for to properly help a student struggling

with anxiety due to academic outcomes an educator must support them both mentally and

academically. Only in this way can we begin to help ease just some of the burden many

adolescents may be feeling since returning to in person leaning. Although this section has mainly

focused on just one of the many factors that affected student mental health during the pandemic

the same kind of reasoning and effort can and should be applied to each one. Students don’t just

stop being worried over family members and themselves catching the virus, or any disease,

because they are back in school. The loneliness and depression many students have felt because

of the isolation they went through is not fixed simply because they are around people once again.

The healing process takes time, patience, and understanding and this is something we must

provide.
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How kids cope, for better and for worse

As discussed above there was a marked increase in the depressive and anxiety symptoms

in students over the course of the pandemic (Hussong et al., 2021; Lee, 2020; Vestal, 2021).

However, although the reasons for these feelings vary the fact that adolescents had to learn to

deal with it, to find their own ways to cope with these stressors remains the same for all.

Acquiring Mental Health support can be difficult, and it was especially a more stressed service

during the pandemic, only intensified by the lack of ability to go in person. With all these

stressors and barriers in the way adolescents had to find their own ways to support their mental

wellbeing (Demaray et al., 2021; Hussong et al, 2021). And from the research we can see that

adolescents did find ways to cope and deal with their emotions, however not all these methods

were equally good or helpful (Demaray et al., 2021; Espinoza & Hernandez. 2022; Peltier et al.,

2022). The studies go over a variety of ways adolescents reported coping with their feelings

about the pandemic including things such as; distraction (via music, videogames, drawing, etc),

spending a lot of time online, spending time with friends and family, and fostering a sense of

community (Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021; Demaray et al., 2021). These are just a few of the many

different ways adolescents found to cope during the pandemic, however not all of these are the

same in their efficacy or long-term usefulness.

It is not that they did not help, every method mentioned was reported by adolescents in

helping them feel better about their situation, or helping them take their mind off things. What is

the problem though, is that although they could be useful in the moment they were not as helpful,

or even to a point detrimental in the long run. This was true for methods such as distraction, or

too much time spent online (Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021; Demaray et al., 2021). This can be

because since these coping methods are used to just distract, to get their mind off of the current
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situation they are not actually processing or properly coping with their negative feelings and

thoughts they are only pushing them aside to deal with later (Husong et al., 2021). For small

moments of time and certain situations distraction can be a very useful coping method,

sometimes people need time before they are ready to cope, or not in a situation where it is

currently possible to properly process their feelings, however when those moments do not end,

and the time to process does not come, these emotions are only left to fester and cause people to

feel worse. And this was the issue reported by adolescents who reported this method of coping,

while they felt it was helpful in the short term, and they often enjoyed their time doing it, over

time they felt it did not help as much, and that some even felt worse before and/or during the

distraction activity (Demaray et al., 2021; Espinoza & Hernandez, 2022).

The same can be said for spending too much time online, with some exception. This

exception is based on what the adolescent was using their device for, since in person meetings

were not allowed many adolescents turned to online messaging and video platforms to keep in

contact with their peers and friends (Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021; Espinoza & Hernandez 2022).

Here there is a conflict between the negative effects of too much time online, and the mitigative

effect of spending time with friends which was highly reported to be useful towards helping

adolescents cope with their feelings of depression and anxiety, and the unsure state of the world

during the pandemic (Bjørknes et al., 2021; Peltier et al., 2022). Though it is not the same as

physically being others, the benefits are shown through research (Espinoza & Hernandez, 2022).

This brings us to the next point, the importance of adolescents having a sense of community, and

spending positive time with their friends and family. These coping methods were shown through

various studies to be extremely important in helping students deal with their mental health issues

and supporting them through these turbulent times. Many of the studies spoke of its positive
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effects, how a sense of community and having interactions with loved ones was essential for

adolescents in being able to mitigate and process the complex emotions they dealt with during

the pandemic, and now as they return back to in person learning (Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021;

Espinoza and Hernandez, 2022). That students should have friends and family, a community that

they can turn to when things are difficult, is not a new fact, but due to the pandemic, and through

the reviewed literature, it becomes even more clear that adolescents need this type of support

more than ever. This is important because fostering a sense of support and community is

something that can be done at schools and in classrooms. Teachers can create environments and

educational opportunities for students to receive support and the sense of community they need.

In general, if we want to support adolescents as they begin to adjust to their lives post-pandemic

then knowing some of the ways they may cope, and how we can help is an important tool. As

well as knowing that while not all of them may be as effective or as helpful it does not mean they

are innately harmful. It is fine for students to use methods of distraction, especially when they

have more productive and healthy coping methods aside from it.

School Based Mental Health Services

So far we have discussed the effects the pandemic had on student mental health, as well

as some of the reasons behind the increase in negative mental health symptoms. As well as the

way adolescents found to cope with their feelings and emotions during their time in isolation.

But what role did schools play in this, what role should schools play in the preservation and care

of the mental wellbeing of their students. In Knipps (2022) paper she states, “The school system

is not only responsible for the academic success of children, but also provides a major share of

counseling services for youth, provided in part by school social workers and school counselors”

(p. 195). And this is true, schools function as more than just places for adolescents to learn and
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should be rightfully equipped and prepared for these circumstances. Schools for many

adolescents are almost akin to second homes, places where they interact with friends and form

communities, join clubs of shared interests, receive minor medical care, and in some cases places

where they can be assured at least one meal for the day (Kranz et al., 2022; Lee, 2020; Scott et

al., 2020).

Schools are also places where students should be able to attain Mental Health supports

and services, however from the literature reviewed it can be seen that although it is agreed that

these services are important, they are not easy for adolescents to acquire even within the services

provided by the schools they are a part of (Kern et al., 2022; Vestal, 2021). This is something

that only became more true during the pandemic, creating a system that was now both

overburdened and underfinanced (Knipps, 2022; Kranz et al., 2022; Weisbrot & Ryst, 2020). In

Weisbrot’s & Erika’s (2020) article they state that:

“It is hard to imagine how children can return to school safely without providing additional (and

substantial) financial support. Added to the costs of the physical needs created by the pandemic

will be the increased costs necessary to bolster a full continuum of educational AND mental

health supports. Funding of schoolbased mental health supports will be necessary for prevention

of staff burnout and trauma effects, as well as early identification and intervention of mental

health problems in the increased numbers of students at high risk for adverse outcomes.”

(p.258)

Caring for students post pandemic involves more than just aiding their educational needs and

loss from the past two years. As we have discussed in this literature review it also involves

prominent care of their mental health, to identify and aid them in their current struggles. The

need for school based mental health services increased sharply during the pandemic, as students
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and families began to struggle with the shift to online coupled with a pandemic School Based

Mental Health Professionals (SBMHP) struggled to keep up with the need and workload,

coupled with the their own stress of a new and unfamiliar situation (Knipps, 2022). Much of the

existing literature stresses how overstretched and overburdened these professionals, and others in

similar lines of work like guidance counsellors and school social workers, have been and are

even more so now. School social workers and SBMHP especially are often given a very wide

caseload, often servicing multiple schools and even districts with just one or two people (Knipps,

2022; Weisbrot & Ryst, 2020). And this is not feasible, to give students the adequate mental

health care they need, especially now when the need more mental health services is on the rise.

Despite this, there are reports that while mental health has been deemed essential to be cared

about in these current times, many schools are instead continuing to fund more physical health

aspects such as dental or academics (Kranz et al., 2022; Vestal, 2021). It becomes an impasse,

these services are necessary and vital for students to safely move on from the pandemic, but it is

that same necessity that prevents them properly receiving it, as all schools try to vie for the

limited amount of supports that exist.

Kern’s et al. (2022) paper, in this regard, focuses on what schools can do to implement

and provide effective mental health services for their students. The paper mentions the important

shift to the “creation of supportive environments and building student skills rather than treating

“psychopathology” (Weist et al., 2014).” (Kern et al., 2022, p. 208). As mentioned earlier, one

thing that educators can do is foster healthy spaces and communities for their students. This

paper goes further into this idea, structuring their idea in tiers, the prior mentioned method

ranking as tier 1. Tier 1 applies to wide, far-reaching approaches, meant to apply and support all

students, and from there more specific supports can be given to students who do not respond to
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the tier 1 approach (Kern et al., 2022). Tier 2 is focused on “prevention and early intervention”,

while tier 3 goes a step further to focus on “intensive, individualized intervention.” (Kern et al.,

2022, p. 208-209). This paper, and others, however focus on the importance of community and

working together, of approaching these topics from a comprehensive and understanding

perspective, keeping in mind both the students and the care provider’s positionality in this

situation (Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021; Espinoza & Hernandez, 2022).

Aside from the school based mental health services students need to feel this support at

all levels, from those specially equipped to handle it to their teachers (Kern et al., 2022; Vestal,

2021). It is not enough to just be able to provide these services, if the intent behind it is not

consistent throughout then the effects of it are diminished, or students may fail to see the reason

or point. As such, it becomes not just that these services need to be made more readily available

and accessible but that staff themselves must be trained to be better equipped to understand and

aid their students when they are facing mental health struggles (Kern et al., 2022; Weisbrot &

Ryst. 2020). As both educators and students move forward from the two years of online learning,

we must improve and expand the existing school based supports for students, to minimize the

adverse effects it may cause if left unaddressed.

In conclusion

Through the literature that I have read it becomes clear that the pandemic has put a lot of

stress on students, both academically and emotionally. Many feel anxious, depressed, and

worried about a variety of things (Bjørknes et al., 2021; Lee, 2020; Scott et al., 2021). As such,

even as schools shift away from online learning the aftereffects linger, how they felt and the

ways they coped did not just disappear. If anything, some of their concerns like academic

success only intensify as they adjust back to a regular school setting that for some may now feel
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too difficult or overwhelming. Although we know just how exactly students are struggling, both

academically and emotionally, through the literature we can also see the ways to help and

support them. Allowing students connections and friendship, their sense of community and

attachment to culture can help towards mitigating the negative influences of the pandemic

(Cortes-Garcia et al., 2021; Demaray et al., 2021; Espinoza & Hernandez, 2022). And, more so,

it can be seen how essential school based mental health services are to the overall wellbeing of

students. Although the current scope of these services is not enough for the need of adolescents

at the moment, it does not mean there is nothing that can be done. There is a call for expanding

the resources allotted to mental health supports in school in the research reviewed, as well as

suggestions for things that can be done in the interim (Kern et al. 2022, Knipp 2022).

The current research provides a good picture of the current landscape of both how

schools are functioning post-online learning as well as how students were and are currently

faring. As I was selecting articles for this literature review it was important for me to choose a

variety of articles so I could achieve the wider perspective that I wanted to. It is not enough to

just look at one aspect of this topic, as these all the factors and themes discussed interconnect to

allow us to see the current situation as a whole. As such, although all the selected literature

discusses the same overarching topic the aspect and viewpoints they discuss vary. From student

voices, teachers, school nurses, SBMHPs, and the perspective of the individual researchers who

review and analyse the information they gather. By doing this I am also able to see my topic

from a wider perspective and see the common themes that come up even when viewing these

various perspectives. Due to the topic I have chosen, much of the research I have selected falls

under psychological, sociological, and educational frameworks, and that is also something to be
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aware of as these are vocations that have certain viewpoints that need to be taken into account

when reading them.

At the end of this literature review the question I am left pondering is where do we go

from here? We know that students need more proper support for their mental health needs and

yet many schools do not have the facilities to enable this in its full capacity, and waitlists for

professional support are long. The barriers in place that prevent students from receiving adequate

support present a challenge for everyone involved. So, then, further research can look into what

can be done to support students right here and right now? What changes can and must be made to

the education system to help mitigate the long-lasting emotional effects of the pandemic, to

support our struggling youth.

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return to the same world, and I do not want it to destroy my future.’ young people's worries

through the outbreak of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Child & Family Social Work, 27(2), 246–

253. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12878

Cortés-García, L., Hernández Ortiz, J., Asim, N., Sales, M., Villareal, R., Penner, F., & Sharp, C.

(2021). Covid-19 conversations: A qualitative study of majority Hispanic/latinx youth

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