Disruptions to familial and peer relations, household economic shocks, elevated screen-time use, and lack of a quiet study space during the pandemic were associated with worse longer-term wellbeing in adolescents, with effects experienced differently depending on social and economic resources.
Key Findings
Results
Several pandemic stressors that predicted worse wellbeing during the pandemic were not significantly associated with late- or post-pandemic wellbeing.
Health-anxiety and support for home learning were among the stressors that did not show significant longer-term associations with wellbeing
The study used prospective cohort data collected at three time-points (ages 9, 12, and 13)
Data were collected from mid-2021 to mid-2022, described as the late- to post-pandemic period
The sample included n=2404 participants, 50% female, 12.3% migrant-background, based in Ireland
Results
Greater disruption to familial relations during the pandemic was associated with worse longer-term adolescent wellbeing outcomes.
Familial relation disruption during the height of the pandemic predicted poorer wellbeing in the late-/post-pandemic period
The association was observed after adjusting for socioemotional wellbeing before and during the pandemic
Some of the longer-term associations emerged through their link with worse wellbeing reported during the pandemic, which in turn predicted poorer longer-term wellbeing
Results
Disruption to peer social relations during the pandemic was associated with worse longer-term wellbeing, especially among girls.
Peer social relation disruption at the height of the pandemic was linked to poorer late-/post-pandemic wellbeing outcomes
The effect was described as especially pronounced among girls
Ireland had a protracted period of school closures, which may have amplified peer disruption
Results
Elevated screen-time use during the pandemic remained linked with poorer late-/post-pandemic wellbeing even after accounting for peri-pandemic wellbeing.
Screen-time was one of two stressors that maintained a significant association with longer-term wellbeing after controlling for wellbeing reported during the pandemic
This suggests screen-time has a direct longer-term association with wellbeing beyond its indirect pathway through peri-pandemic wellbeing
The finding distinguishes screen-time from stressors whose longer-term effects were fully mediated by peri-pandemic wellbeing
Results
Household economic shocks during the pandemic remained associated with poorer late-/post-pandemic wellbeing even after accounting for peri-pandemic wellbeing.
Economic shocks were one of two stressors retaining a direct significant association with longer-term wellbeing after controlling for peri-pandemic wellbeing
The findings highlight how external shocks such as the pandemic 'appear to be experienced differently depending on the social and economic resources of young people and their families'
This suggests economic disadvantage has a lasting impact on adolescent wellbeing beyond the acute pandemic period
Results
Lack of a quiet place to study during the pandemic was associated with worse longer-term wellbeing outcomes.
Absence of a quiet study space was identified as a pandemic stressor linked to poorer late-/post-pandemic wellbeing
This stressor reflects material and household resource inequalities
The finding is consistent with the broader theme that social and economic resources shaped differential pandemic impacts
Results
Some longer-term associations between pandemic stressors and wellbeing operated through peri-pandemic wellbeing as an intermediary pathway.
Worse wellbeing reported during the pandemic predicted poorer longer-term wellbeing outcomes
For some stressors, the longer-term association emerged from their link with worse wellbeing during the pandemic rather than a direct effect
This pathway was distinguished from the direct longer-term effects seen for screen-time and economic shocks
Methods
The study was conducted in Ireland, a country with a protracted period of school closures, using a three-wave prospective cohort design.
Data were collected at ages 9, 12, and 13, spanning before, during, and after the pandemic
Sample size was n=2404, with 50% female and 12.3% migrant-background participants
The analysis adjusted for socioemotional wellbeing before and during the pandemic to isolate longer-term associations
What This Means
This research followed nearly 2,400 young people in Ireland across three points in time (at ages 9, 12, and 13) to understand which COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors had lasting effects on adolescent mental wellbeing, even after the worst of the pandemic had passed. The study found that not all stressors that caused problems during the pandemic continued to affect young people afterward — for example, health anxiety and difficulties with home learning support did not show significant lasting effects. However, disruptions to family relationships, friendships (particularly for girls), household financial hardship, heavy screen use, and not having a quiet place to study were all linked to poorer wellbeing even in the late or post-pandemic period.
Importantly, some of these lasting effects worked through a chain: pandemic stressors worsened mental wellbeing during the pandemic itself, and that poor wellbeing during the pandemic then predicted worse wellbeing later on. But for screen time and economic hardship specifically, the negative effects on wellbeing persisted even when accounting for how young people were feeling during the pandemic — suggesting these factors have a more direct and enduring impact.
This research suggests that the pandemic's impact on young people was not felt equally — those from less financially secure households or with fewer material resources (like a quiet study space) fared worse in the longer term. The findings point to the importance of social and economic circumstances in shaping how young people recover from major societal disruptions, and suggest that interventions supporting family relationships, reducing economic hardship, and managing screen use could be particularly important for adolescent wellbeing in the aftermath of crises like the pandemic.
Laurence J, Smyth E. (2026). COVID-19 pandemic stressors and their longer-term association with young people's wellbeing.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347875