During This Pandemic, Teens Have Felt Better And Been LESS Depressed And Lonely!
A study by The Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institution measured adolescent well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found that despite all the uncertainty and stress, teenagers’ well-being actually rose! For example, depression and loneliness were lower among teens in 2020 than in 2018! That’s not only surprising, but incredibly encouraging. The report reveals how and why teens have been more resilient than expected.
Here’s the key: teens who spent more time with their families and who felt more connected to them were less likely to report being depressed. Although there are certainly exceptions, in general, most kids were in a better place emotionally simply because by default they spent more time with Mom and Dad.
How can that be, you might ask, when you’ve felt like you’ve been distracted and unavailable by trying to juggle virtual work and parenting?
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