Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Youth With a History of Exposure to Self-Directed Violence

Clinical Impact Statement The effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of young people is more extensive than initially believed. Not only has the pandemic impacted individual mental health and well-being, it is compounded by exposure to mental health concerns of people in their network. Prevention and intervention strategies should focus on young people not only as individuals who may need to be connected to mental health resources for themselves, but to support and help them process effects of more vicarious self-directed violence exposure. Encouraging youth to create positive community connections is a modifiable protective factor. Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created a sudden shift in the social lives of youth with important negative impacts on mental health. The current article aims to understand how the pandemic may have differentially impacted the mental health of adolescents and young adults with recent (1 year or less) and past (>1 year) exposure to self-directed violence (SDV). Method: Data were collected online from 990 youth and young adults, aged 13-23 years between November 27, 2020 and December 11, 2020. Results: Participants who had recently been exposed to SDV reported being more impacted by the pandemic and had poorer mental health indicators. Participants with past SDV exposure who engaged in a high number of prosocial activities (e.g., talking with friends) were less likely to report depressive symptoms (beta = -.13, p = .01) than similarly engaged nonexposed participants; the same was true for recently exposed participants (beta = -.14, p = .02). Conclusions: Findings highlight that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people are compounded by exposure to mental health concerns of people in their network.