Stressful life events, extended home confinement, brutal grief, intrafamilial violence, overuse of the Internet and social media are factors that could influence the mental health of adolescents during this period. The COVID-19 pandemic could result in increased psychiatric disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress, Depressive, and Anxiety Disorders, as well as grief-related symptoms. Adolescents with psychiatric disorders are at risk of a break or change in their care and management; they may experience increased symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown may have a negative impact on the mental health of adolescents, although there is still no data on the long term impact of this crisis. Adolescents’ individual, familial, and social vulnerability, as well as individual and familial coping abilities, are factors related to adolescent mental health in times of crisis. Adolescents are often vulnerable and require careful consideration by caregivers and healthcare system adaptations to allow for mental health support despite the lockdown.

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Adolescents are a vulnerable group and they are experiencing a time of difficult transition (Swick et al., 2002; Larsen and Luna, 2018; Sturman and Moghaddam, 2011). The COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown may have multiple consequences on the lives of adolescents: chronic and acute stress, worry for their families, unexpected bereavements, sudden school break, and home confinement in many countries, increased time of access to the internet and social media, worry for the economic future of their family and country.

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A study of American families exposed to the H1N1 and SARS-CoV (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) viruses reported PTSD in 30% of children exposed to quarantine measures (Sprang and Silman, 2013). Post-traumatic stress disorders, depression, and anxiety are potential disaster impacts on adolescent mental health (Kar and Bastia, 2006; Yule et al., 2000; Bolton et al., 2000; Kar, 2019). Girls are estimated to be twice as likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (Garza and Jovanovic, 2017; Fan et al., 2015).

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Post-traumatic stress disorders in children have an impact on brain development. PTSD in children is associated with alterations in the fronto-limbic circuits, which may contribute to increased threat reactivity and weaker emotion regulation (Herringa, 2017). PTSD in children have neuroanatomical and neurofunctional consequences (declining hippocampal volume, increasing amygdala reactivity, and declining amygdala-prefrontal coupling with age) (Herringa, 2017).

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In a survey among 8079 Chinese adolescents aged 12–18, Zhou et al. reported a high prevalence of symptoms of depression (43%), anxiety (37%) and combinated depression and anxiety (31%) during the COVID-19 outbreak (Zhou et al., 2020). Female gender was the highest risk factor for these symptoms.

These studies on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak support the hypothesis of a risk of PTSD, depressive and anxiety symptoms related to this pandemic.