Journal of Youth and Adolescence - 2022 Emerging Scholar Best Article Award
The editors of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence have named Natasha R. Magson as the 2022 recipient of its Emerging Scholar Best Article Award for her article entitled ““Risk and Protective Factors for Prospective Changes in Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Dr. Magson is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Her research interests include peer influences on adolescent mental health and the impact of peer victimization and weight stigma on adolescent wellbeing. Her co-authors were Justin Y. A. Freeman (Macquarie University), Ronald M. Rapee (Macquarie University), Cele E. Richardson (The University of Western Australia), Ella L. Oar (Macquarie University), and Jasmine Fardouly (University of New South Wales).
Her article presented what has become widely recognized as a groundbreaking longitudinal study examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ mental health, moderators of change, and the factors perceived as causing the most distress. Two hundred and forty-eight adolescents (Mage = 14.4; 51% girls; 81.8% Caucasian) were surveyed over two time points; in the 12 months leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak (T1), and again two months following the implementation of government restrictions and online learning (T2). Consistent with predictions, adolescents experienced significant increases in depressive symptoms and anxiety. They also experienced a significant decrease in life satisfaction from T1 to T2, which was particularly pronounced among girls. Their analyses further revealed that COVID-19 related worries, online learning difficulties, and increased conflict with parents predicted increases in mental health problems from T1 to T2. Adherence to stay-at-home orders and feeling socially connected during the COVID-19 lockdown protected against poor mental health. Their study provided initial longitudinal evidence for the decline of adolescent’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their results suggested that adolescents are more concerned about the government restrictions designed to contain the spread of the virus, than the virus itself, and that those concerns are associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, and decreased life satisfaction.
The journal’s editors view receiving the award as a considerably distinctive accomplishment. The journal publishes well over 150 manuscripts per year and continuously has ranked among the top developmental journals focusing on the period of adolescence.
The Journal of Youth and Adolescence provides a single, high-level medium of communication for psychologists, psychiatrists, biologists, criminologists, educators, and professionals in many other allied disciplines who address the subject of youth and adolescence.
Read the winning article “Risk and Protective Factors for Prospective Changes in Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic (this opens in a new tab)”.