COVID significantly affected mental health of girls: Study

NEW DELHI: A study published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that COVID-19 has had a significant effect on the mental health of adolescent girls. The team of researchers analysed 59,000 Icelandic adolescents and found that negative mental health was reported by the girls and other adolescents (13-18 years) as compared to prior pandemic times in the same age group.

The study also found that there was decline in the smoking, e-cigarettes consumptions and intoxication among the 15-18 year adolescents during the pandemic. John Allegrante, Professor, Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, said that the decrease observed in the usage of substance during the pandemic is just an unintended by-product of the isolation which has been endured by various adolescents. The study compared the current data with various pre-pandemic time points which helped the researchers separate the effect of COVID-19 from other recent downgrade in the mental health of adolescents.

Allegrante added that the isolation during the pandemic has been universal across the world and it has clinical importance and negative effect on the younger population who have not been in school during pandemic.