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Understanding Adolescent Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era: A Psychodynamic Approach
Aslı Akın1,2, Lea Sarrar1
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Sciences, MSB Medical School Berlin, 14197 Berlin, Germany.
Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2024
Summary
Adolescent mental health during COVID-19 was linked to personality issues and psychodynamic conflicts. The pandemic intensified these vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for targeted psychodynamic interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted adolescent mental health globally.
- Understanding psychodynamic factors is crucial for addressing adolescent psychological distress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate psychodynamic characteristics influencing adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare these characteristics in adolescents before and after the pandemic's onset.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional, case-control study design.
- Utilized OPD-Structure- and Conflict-Questionnaires, Defense Style Questionnaire, and Patient Health Questionnaire.
- Assessed personality structure, psychodynamic conflicts, defense styles, and mental health in German adolescents (N=739).
Main Results:
- Adolescents with mental health issues showed more personality impairments, immature defenses, and psychodynamic conflicts.
- Pandemic onset correlated with a reduced conflict regarding self-care versus passive care.
- Maladaptive defenses and personality impairments were associated with somatoform, depressive, anxiety, eating, and alcohol use disorders during the pandemic.
Conclusions:
- Psychodynamic factors significantly contributed to adolescent psychological vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Findings offer clinically relevant insights for supporting adolescent mental health.
- Results can inform the development of targeted psychodynamic interventions for future crises.
Keywords:
COVID-19 pandemicadolescencedefense stylesmental healthpersonality structurepsychodynamic conflictsMore Related Videos
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