Beyond Average Effects: Youth Mental Health Profiles Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was a major stressor that disrupted the daily lives and mental health of youth. Using large population-based samples from the Netherlands in youth aged 12–25 years, we examined variation in youth mental health problems and wellbeing before (N = 14,146, 58% female), during (N = 14,308, 55% female), and after the pandemic (N = 37,797, 62% female), in a cross-sectional design. On average, wellbeing decreased and depressive symptoms increased from before to during the pandemic, with limited recovery afterwards (p < .001). Latent profile analyses identified two mental health profiles before the pandemic, three during the pandemic, and three after the pandemic. Across all periods, most youth showed good mental health (51-86%) and a smaller group poor mental health (8-14%), whereas during and after the pandemic an additional group emerged with moderate wellbeing and depressive symptoms (38-40%). Demographic factors (sex and age) and psychosocial factors (loneliness, self-perceived health, optimism, and stress exposure) differed between profiles in similar and expected ways across periods. In contrast, associations with educational level differed across periods: whereas lower educational level was associated with poorer mental health before the pandemic, this pattern disappeared during the pandemic.Although mean levels of wellbeing and depressive symptoms indicated an overall decline in youth mental health, the profile analyses showed heterogeneity. The largely consistent pattern of risk and resilience factors across periods suggests that well-known correlates of youth mental health remained relevant despite changing circumstances.