According to a study, school closures as part of the lockdowns to contain the corona pandemic have led to an increase in depression among children and adolescents across Europe. According to the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in Wiesbaden, they showed general depression symptoms 75 percent more frequently during the school closures than before the pandemic. The “BiB” evaluated 22 studies across Europe with data from before and after the pandemic.
In comparison, the frequency of these symptoms increased by 27 percent in the period without school closures and lockdown. The researchers recorded an overall increase in general depressive symptoms, especially among male adolescents between the ages of 16 and 19. The clinically relevant depression rates also increased, with significantly more female children and adolescents being registered.
“The stricter the containment measures, such as school closures, the greater the increase in general depression symptoms,” the study authors summarized their core result.
Early detection and treatment of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents is of great public health importance. The authors demanded that their well-being should be monitored more closely in the future.
