Kaman Anne, Erhart Michael, Devine Janine, Napp Ann-Kathrin, Reiß Franziska, Behn Steven, Ravens-Sieberer Ulrike
Zentrum für Psychosoziale Medizin, Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, -psychotherapie und -psychosomatik, Forschungssektion Child Public Health, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Deutschland.
Fachbereich Gesundheit, Erziehung und Bildung, Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin, Berlin, Deutschland.
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2025 Jun;68(6):670-680. doi: 10.1007/s00103-025-04045-1. Epub 2025 Apr 28.
The mental health of children and adolescents is increasingly affected by global crises, but so far there are only limited longitudinal studies on this topic. This longitudinal, population-based study aimed to explore changes in mental health during global crises.
The study analyzed data from 2865 families with children and adolescents aged 7 to 22 years who participated in at least one wave of the COPSY (COvid-19 and PSYchological health) study from May 2020 (T1) to October 2024 (T7). On average, the families took part in 56.7% of the survey waves. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine changes in mental health as well as the effects of crisis-related worries and digital media use.
The mental health of children and adolescents was significantly impaired at the beginning of the pandemic, improved again in the following years, but remained at an impaired level in fall 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, concerns about wars, economic crises, and the climate crisis have increased significantly. Risk factors such as low parental education and parental mental health problems were associated with poorer mental health, while personal, familial, and social resources had a protective effect. A high level of media consumption was documented, which was associated with stressful experiences.
Global crises pose significant challenges to the mental health of children and adolescents. Resource-oriented prevention and intervention efforts are urgently needed to support young people in coping with these challenges.
儿童和青少年的心理健康日益受到全球危机的影响，但迄今为止，关于这一主题的纵向研究有限。这项基于人群的纵向研究旨在探讨全球危机期间心理健康的变化。
该研究分析了2865个有7至22岁儿童和青少年的家庭的数据，这些家庭至少参与了一波从2020年5月（T1）到2024年10月（T7）的COPSY（新冠疫情与心理健康）研究。平均而言，这些家庭参与了56.7%的调查波次。使用描述性统计和多元回归分析来检验心理健康的变化以及与危机相关的担忧和数字媒体使用的影响。
儿童和青少年的心理健康在疫情开始时受到显著损害，在随后几年有所改善，但与疫情前水平相比，在2024年秋季仍处于受损水平。与此同时，对战争、经济危机和气候危机的担忧显著增加。低父母教育水平和父母心理健康问题等风险因素与较差的心理健康相关，而个人、家庭和社会资源具有保护作用。记录了较高的媒体消费水平，这与压力经历有关。
全球危机给儿童和青少年的心理健康带来重大挑战。迫切需要以资源为导向的预防和干预措施，以支持年轻人应对这些挑战。
