"In this longitudinal cohort study, stricter public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with adolescent mental distress. Contrary to expected, this association was not moderated by sex, age, prepandemic anxiety or depression, parental education, or genetic liability for mental health conditions. Adolescents who had recently experienced quarantine reported more mental distress, and there was a dose-response association between the number of times quarantined and mental distress... Our findings aligned with studies that showed increased mental distress among adolescents during times of stricter measures. A meta-analysis found a linear association between the stringency of measures and depression or anxiety symptoms."
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