Adolescent Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Adolescent Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors
Language: English
Authors: Buket Kara (ORCID 0000-0003-4424-240X), Nitzan Scharf, Kathleen C. McCormick, Linda Bhreathnach, Candace Currie, Jennifer Symonds
Source: Journal of Adolescence. 2025 97(8):2048-2066.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Information Analyses
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Adolescents, Anxiety, Stress Variables, COVID-19, Pandemics, Social Isolation, Economic Factors, Technology Uses in Education, Resilience (Psychology), Social Support Groups, Coping, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Brazil
DOI: 10.1002/jad.70038
ISSN: 0140-1971
1095-9254
Abstract: Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted adolescents' lives, leading to increased stress and anxiety rates globally. Although existing research highlights the necessity of understanding the increased rates of anxiety in adolescents during and after the pandemic, it offers little insight into the risk and protective factors for the development of adolescent anxiety at this time. To more deeply understand how the pandemic impacted anxiety in adolescents around the world, the current study adopted a qualitative approach to synthesising the global evidence on adolescents' lived experiences of anxiety during the pandemic. Methods: Five databases (Academic Search Complete, British Education Index, Education Research Information Centre, APA PsycINFO, and Scopus) were searched for studies that included qualitative data reported by adolescents on their lived experiences of anxiety during the pandemic. After duplicate records were removed, 348 records were title and abstract screened, a shortlist of 117 publications for full text screening, resulting in 34 papers to be included in the review. Results: Thematic analysis of data uncovered adolescents' experiences of anxiety during the pandemic in relation to a wide range of risk factors (i.e., academic stressors, family and economic stressors, social isolation, online dangers, uncertainties and health-related concerns) and protective factors (e.g., social support, personal coping, accurate information and clear guidelines, digital tools) in different developmental contexts. Conclusions: These findings can guide the development of effective practices and policies for young people navigating the complexities of the post-pandemic world.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1491006
Database: ERIC
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