Changes in mental health problems and access to mental health care among US adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the national survey of children’s health

作者：Lei Xu, Wenhua Lu, Divya Talwar, Sarah B. Maness, Huabin Luo · 发表于：BMC Public Health · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12889-025-23396-7 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：COVID-19 and Mental Health、Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development、Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

OBJECTIVES: The increase in mental health problems among adolescents is a vital public health issue in the United States. It is crucial to understand how this concerning trend was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a national representative sample, we assessed the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and access to mental health care access among adolescents. METHODS: Data was extracted from the 2019 and 2022 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), an annually collected survey on the health and well-being of adolescents in the U.S. A total of 31,258 adolescents ages 12-17 years were included in this analysis. The two primary outcomes were reports of (1) mental health problems (yes/no) and (2) mental healthcare access (yes/no) in the past 12 months. We ran separate multiple logistic regression models to assess the changes in mental health problems and access to mental health care from 2019 to 2022. RESULTS: Overall, our results indicated a higher prevalence of adolescent mental health problems reported in 2022 (30.6% 95% CI: 29.4-31.9%) than in 2019 (26.9%, 25.2-28.6%) (p = 0.001). Results of a regression model showed that adolescents who identified as non-Hispanic Black, had parents with higher education levels and who experienced childhood adverse events were more likely to have parent-reported mental health problems (all p < 0.001). Results of the regression model on access to mental health care indicated that adolescent girls were more likely to have access to ...