Does Meditation Help College Students With Anxiety?
Written by Srinidhi Viswanathan
Edited by Avantika Gokulnatha
September 27th, 2023
Edited by Avantika Gokulnatha
September 27th, 2023
Research
It’s not hard to see how most of our lives have been uprooted, disrupted, and completely changed since the COVID-19 pandemic became a central part of our lives in early 2020. New studies have shown that this is especially true for adolescents. Ages spanning from 15-20 are vital in the development of the human brain (Konrad et al., 2013). A new study from Stanford University explored the effects of stress and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Results of this study are particularly alarming.
The researchers compared data from a group of adolescents in the San Francisco Bay Area in terms from before and after the pandemic. Both groups took mental health surveys and underwent neuroimaging. In fact, the research was not initially about the COVID-19 pandemic, as the researchers would not have been able to anticipate the emergence of a global pandemic. However, they decided to use the data from before the pandemic and compare it to adolescents that experienced “school closures, academic disruptions, social restrictions, and reduced access to school-based mental health services” (Gotlib et al., 2022).
The results were extremely concerning. Other studies have found that the mental health of those who lived and grew up with the pandemic is not as high as those who did not. This study further found that the neuroanatomy of adolescents who experienced the pandemic while growing up is similar to those that are older. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the brain maturation of adolescents.
It’s important to note that the sample being studied had a relatively similar socioeconomic status. Therefore, it is critical to repeat this research in more diverse populations, not just the racial and ethnic makeup of the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, it is imperative to analyze whether these neuroanatomical changes are long lasting or fairly short lived.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left an impression on everyone, regardless of age. These findings have shown that adolescents have experienced neurological changes due to it. It is vital that we give people that have grown up at this time the resources to lead productive and mentally healthy lives.
References:
Gotlib, I. H., Miller, J. G., Borchers, L. R., Coury, S. M., Costello, L. A., Garcia, J. M., & Ho, T. C. (2022). Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Brain Maturation in Adolescents: Implications for Analyzing Longitudinal Data. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.11.002
Konrad, K., Firk, C., & Uhlhaas, P. J. (2013). Brain development during adolescence: neuroscientific insights into this developmental period. Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 110(25), 425–431. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2013.0425