Social Isolation in Times of COVID-19: Effects on Adolescents' Mental Health

Abstract

Introduction: The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus forced the adoption of several measures for individual and collective protection measures,  including isolation, which interrupted direct social contact and started to draw the attention of researchers due to its potential risk of damage to  people’s mental health, notably for the most sensitive groups, such as adolescents. Aim: This article presents some emotional repercussions observed in groups of adolescents, after six months of social isolation. Methodology: Literature retrieved through Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Scielo, and Cochrane Library databases related to the mental health of adolescents during the period of social isolation determined by the coronavirus pandemic, published between January and July 2020. Results: The studies have found manifestations ranging from mild symptoms, such as boredom, inattention, agitation, irritability, fatigue and excessive worries to those of greater magnitude, such as worsening cognitive performance, exaggerated fear and varying degrees of anxiety and depression Conclusion: The data allow us to state that social isolation has immediate effects and probably also in the medium and long term, on the behavior and emotional health of adolescents. Both healthy teenagers and those who already have a change in the pre-existing emotional state must be carefully observed and supported during the most critical moments of this global crisis.