COVID-19 Losses and Gains of Teenagers (Self-Study)

Course overview

The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents (ages 13-18) continues to be significant. Many young people have experienced the deaths of those close to them, sometimes multiple deaths in their family or community. The non-death losses for this age group are myriad, as many important life experiences and milestones have been modified or missed altogether. Most of the current research on the pandemic has either not focused on adolescents or has been conducted outside the United States. Dr. Servaty-Seib and Dr. Malone review the existing research that does exist on the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 for adolescents and report findings from their current study focused on assessing adolescents' perceptions of losses and gains associated with the pandemic. Going beyond symptoms, an emphasis on loss/gain perceptions can suggest direction for facilitating grief and enhancing resilience and possible transformative insights and growth. By capturing adolescent voices, this gain/loss framework will provide important information and interventive strategies for counselors and other mental health providers, teachers, and parents.