IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i11p6067-d568946.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Mental Health Outcomes among Youth: A Rapid Narrative Review

Author

Listed:
  • Federica Cielo

    (Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
    Postgraduate School on Clinical Psychology, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy)

  • Randi Ulberg

    (Division of Mental Health Addiction, University of Oslo, 0319 Oslo, Norway
    Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, 0319 Oslo, Norway)

  • Dina Di Giacomo

    (Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
    Postgraduate School on Clinical Psychology, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy)

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has affected not only physical health but also mental health and psychological wellbeing. This narrative review aimed to map the literature on the psychological impact on the young generation of the COVID-19 pandemic, social restrictions, and extraordinary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE through PubMed and Web of Science [Science Citation Index Expanded, SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)] of all scientific literature published from May 2020 until 15 March 2021. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 15 articles were included. We conducted a narrative review. The reviewed articles suggested the impact of the pandemic and lockdown measures on young persons for several mental symptoms as well as anxiety, stress, depression, event-specific distress, decrease in psychological wellbeing, and changes in sleep habits. Psychological symptoms were related to the experience of several stressors, such as risk for reduction of academic perspectives, massive e-learning adoption, economic issues, social restrictions, and implications for daily life related to the COVID-19 outbreak. This narrative review points out the negative psychological impact of the pandemic outbreak and the high vulnerability of the young in the development of psychological distress, highlighting the relevant focus on the mental health of young people during the pandemic and the need for structured and tailored psychological support and interventions focused to the improvement of Quality of Life of university students after the pandemic experience.

Suggested Citation

  • Federica Cielo & Randi Ulberg & Dina Di Giacomo, 2021. "Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Mental Health Outcomes among Youth: A Rapid Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:11:p:6067-:d:568946
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/11/6067/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/11/6067/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Md Akhtarul Islam & Sutapa Dey Barna & Hasin Raihan & Md Nafiul Alam Khan & Md Tanvir Hossain, 2020. "Depression and anxiety among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: A web-based cross-sectional survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Chiara Baiano & Isa Zappullo & the LabNPEE Group & Massimiliano Conson, 2020. "Tendency to Worry and Fear of Mental Health during Italy’s COVID-19 Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-8, August.
    3. Jiang, Ruichen, 2020. "Knowledge, attitudes and mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    4. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    5. Sheela Sundarasen & Karuthan Chinna & Kamilah Kamaludin & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Gul Mohammad Baloch & Heba Bakr Khoshaim & Syed Far Abid Hossain & Areej Sukayt, 2020. "Psychological Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown among University Students in Malaysia: Implications and Policy Recommendations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-13, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mohammad Ikram & Nazneen Fatima Shaikh & Jamboor K. Vishwanatha & Usha Sambamoorthi, 2022. "Leading Predictors of COVID-19-Related Poor Mental Health in Adult Asian Indians: An Application of Extreme Gradient Boosting and Shapley Additive Explanations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. da Silva, Filipa Pires & Jerónimo, Helena Mateus & Henriques, Paulo Lopes & Ribeiro, Joana, 2024. "Impact of digital burnout on the use of digital consumer platforms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    3. Blanca Rosa García-Rivera & Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz & Ignacio Alejandro Mendoza-Martínez & Jesús Everardo Olguin-Tiznado & Pedro García-Alcaráz & Mónica Fernanda Aranibar & Claudia Camargo-Wilson, 2021. "Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic Uncertainty in Negative Emotional States and Resilience as Mediators against Suicide Ideation, Drug Addiction and Alcoholism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Andi Muhammad Tri Sakti & Siti Zaiton Mohd Ajis & Arina Anis Azlan & Hyung Joon Kim & Elizabeth Wong & Emma Mohamad, 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 on School Populations and Associated Factors: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Kamila Czepczor-Bernat & Justyna Modrzejewska & Adriana Modrzejewska & Paweł Matusik, 2021. "Do COVID-19-Related Stress, Being Overweight, and Body Dissatisfaction Contribute to More Disordered Eating in Polish Women?—A Cluster Analysis Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Estera Twardowska-Staszek & Irmina Rostek & Krzysztof Biel & Anna Seredyńska, 2021. "Predictors of Positive and Negative Emotions Experienced by Poles during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-15, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dina Di Giacomo & Alessandra Martelli & Federica Guerra & Federica Cielo & Jessica Ranieri, 2021. "Mediator Effect of Affinity for E-Learning on Mental Health: Buffering Strategy for the Resilience of University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Sabrina Cipolletta & Gabriela Rios Andreghetti & Giovanna Mioni, 2022. "Risk Perception towards COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-25, April.
    3. Ahmad Shahrul Nizam Isha & Gehad Mohammed Ahmed Naji & Muhammad Shoaib Saleem & Paula Brough & Abdulsamad Alazzani & Ebrahim A. A. Ghaleb & Amgad Muneer & Mohammed Alzoraiki, 2023. "Validation of “Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales” and “Changes in Psychological Distress during COVID-19” among University Students in Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-16, March.
    4. Muhammad Hizri Hatta & Hatta Sidi & Chong Siew Koon & Nur Aishah Che Roos & Shalisah Sharip & Farah Deena Abdul Samad & Ong Wan Xi & Srijit Das & Suriati Mohamed Saini, 2022. "Virtual Reality (VR) Technology for Treatment of Mental Health Problems during COVID-19: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Geberew Tulu Mekonnen & Getahun Kebede Beyera & Abraham Tulu & Tigist Tolosa Roba, 2023. "Perceived influence of COVID-19 pandemic on university students' learning and mental health in Ethiopia," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 2545-2562, June.
    6. Nahia Idoiaga & Idoia Legorburu & Naiara Ozamiz-Etxebarria & Darren M. Lipnicki & Beatriz Villagrasa & Javier Santabárbara, 2022. "Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis Attending SDG 3 and 4 of the 2030 Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-12, June.
    7. İlkay Unay-Gailhard & Mark A. Brennen, 2022. "How digital communications contribute to shaping the career paths of youth: a review study focused on farming as a career option," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1491-1508, December.
    8. Mahin Ghafari & Vali Baigi & Zahra Cheraghi & Amin Doosti-Irani, 2016. "The Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Iranian Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
    9. Elizabeth T Cafiero-Fonseca & Andrew Stawasz & Sydney T Johnson & Reiko Sato & David E Bloom, 2017. "The full benefits of adult pneumococcal vaccination: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    10. Santos Urbina & Sofía Villatoro & Jesús Salinas, 2021. "Self-Regulated Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    11. Oded Berger-Tal & Alison L Greggor & Biljana Macura & Carrie Ann Adams & Arden Blumenthal & Amos Bouskila & Ulrika Candolin & Carolina Doran & Esteban Fernández-Juricic & Kiyoko M Gotanda & Catherine , 2019. "Systematic reviews and maps as tools for applying behavioral ecology to management and policy," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(1), pages 1-8.
    12. Nadine Desrochers & Adèle Paul‐Hus & Jen Pecoskie, 2017. "Five decades of gratitude: A meta‐synthesis of acknowledgments research," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(12), pages 2821-2833, December.
    13. Maryono, Maryono & Killoes, Aditya Marendra & Adhikari, Rajendra & Abdul Aziz, Ammar, 2024. "Agriculture development through multi-stakeholder partnerships in developing countries: A systematic literature review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    14. Alene Sze Jing Yong & Yi Heng Lim & Mark Wing Loong Cheong & Ednin Hamzah & Siew Li Teoh, 2022. "Willingness-to-pay for cancer treatment and outcome: a systematic review," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(6), pages 1037-1057, August.
    15. Xue-Ying Xu & Hong Kong & Rui-Xiang Song & Yu-Han Zhai & Xiao-Fei Wu & Wen-Si Ai & Hong-Bo Liu, 2014. "The Effectiveness of Noninvasive Biomarkers to Predict Hepatitis B-Related Significant Fibrosis and Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-16, June.
    16. Vicente Miñana-Signes & Manuel Monfort-Pañego & Javier Valiente, 2021. "Teaching Back Health in the School Setting: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-18, January.
    17. Agnieszka A. Tubis & Katarzyna Grzybowska, 2022. "In Search of Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 in Small-Medium Enterprises—A State of the Art Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-26, November.
    18. Obsa Urgessa Ayana & Jima Degaga, 2022. "Effects of rural electrification on household welfare: a meta-regression analysis," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 69(2), pages 209-261, June.
    19. Caloffi, Annalisa & Colovic, Ana & Rizzoli, Valentina & Rossi, Federica, 2023. "Innovation intermediaries' types and functions: A computational analysis of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    20. García-Poole, Chloe & Byrne, Sonia & Rodrigo, María José, 2019. "How do communities intervene with adolescents at psychosocial risk? A systematic review of positive development programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 194-209.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:11:p:6067-:d:568946. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.