A narrative review into the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on senior high school adolescent mental health.

PROBLEM

High school teenagers are facing significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teenagers are at risk of experiencing physical, mental, and social health problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This narrative review aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the emergence of mental health problems in high school adolescents.

METHODS

This study employed a narrative review method. We conducted a systematic search using PRISMA on three databases: Medline, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. A total of 40 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria set based on the research objectives.

FINDINGS

The study uncovered that high school adolescents had an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems, namely psychological distress, worry, loneliness, anxiety, depression, traumatic symptoms, other psychological disorders, suicide risk, sleep disorders, and psychosocial functioning. Anxiety, depression, and psychological stress were the most discussed mental health problems among high school adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for efforts to identify health problems and intervene in mental health problems early in high school adolescents. Schools, mental health workers, and the government (e.g., policy stakeholders) need to implement the recommendations given as a follow-up effort for mental health services for high school youth.