Adolescence, Interrupted: A narrative review of the impact of Covid-19 on adolescent wellbeing

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts across the globe, with divergent experiences across the life course. Although mortality and morbidity effects have been disproportionately felt among older generations, there is growing recognition that adolescents have also faced multidimensional consequences, fueled by closure of schools and recreational spaces, and widespread disruption to services. While much has been written about the educational and health effects of the pandemic on adolescents, less attention has been given to other aspects of their wellbeing.

This narrative review therefore summarizes the current evidence on the effects of the pandemic on adolescent wellbeing. We draw on the United Nations (UN) H6 + Technical Working Group on Adolescent Health and Well-being’s conceptualization of adolescent wellbeing (Ross et al., 2020), focusing on three domains: connectedness, positive values and contribution to society; safety and a supportive environment; and agency and resilience. Drawing on both peer-reviewed and grey literature from high-, middle- and low-income contexts, we focused our search on adolescents (aged 10–19) and Covid-19 pandemic-related effects on wellbeing in these three domains. We also highlight findings related to three groups of adolescents who have often been overlooked in the literature on the impact of the pandemic: adolescent refugees, married adolescents, and adolescents with disabilities.

We searched using Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus, as well as working paper series at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the World Bank, to identify published and grey literature across the three domains of interest. We restricted the search to articles that presented new, original data, included adolescents (aged 10–19), and were published in English, between January 1, 2020 and April 30, 2022. We expanded the search to make use of the bibliographies uncovered through this review to check for other citations that might meet the search criteria.

The search yielded 193 articles on adolescent wellbeing in the three domains of interest during the Covid–19 pandemic. Adolescents in high-income countries (HICs) were overrepresented compared to those in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (126 vs. 60 articles). Furthermore, more articles focused on social connectedness (117 studies) than on adolescent wellbeing in terms of agency and resilience (73 studies) and safety and a supportive environment (61 studies).

Nearly three years after the Covid-19 pandemic’s onset, the literature on adolescent wellbeing highlights the multiple and intersecting challenges that adolescents faced, especially those living in LMICs. Service disruptions (notably school closures) combined with financial stress, heightened vulnerability to age- and gender-based violence, and social isolation placed unprecedented pressures on young people, taking a toll on their physical and mental health. Evidence that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities – with the most vulnerable adolescents (such as refugees, adolescents with disabilities and married girls) seemingly worst affected – is particularly salient for policy makers. While many adolescents are finding ways to cope (by relying on family and teacher support, connecting with peers through online networks or volunteering), understanding how to promote adolescent resilience more effectively – particularly in LMIC contexts – will be essential to ensure a rapid post-Covid-19 recovery.