Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term trends in youth depression and anxiety.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic search and narrative review of longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional observational studies.
PubMed 41467948 · doi:10.1007/s44192-025-00311-5
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic search in PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, and Embase for longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional studies using random sampling among youth aged 11–25 years. The review evaluated how long-term pre-pandemic trends in youth depression and anxiety compared to trajectories observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What was found
From 4,761 identified records, 9 studies met inclusion criteria. Seven of the nine studies reported rising rates of anxiety and/or depression prior to the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, five studies observed an amplification of pre-existing increases, four studies observed a continuation of prior upward trends, and zero studies reported improvement. Specific numerical effect sizes or prevalence estimates were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
It contextualizes pandemic-era youth mental health declines against pre-existing multi-decade trends, suggesting the pandemic primarily accelerated or sustained already worsening trajectories rather than creating an entirely new phenomenon.
Limits
Only nine studies met inclusion criteria despite a broad initial search. The review is narrative rather than a quantitative meta-analysis, and the abstract omits individual study sample sizes, specific effect magnitudes, and geographical distribution. All underlying data rely on observational cohort or repeated cross-sectional designs.