Objective: This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal cross-lagged association between family mutuality, depression, and anxiety among Chinese adolescents before and after the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Background: Limited attention has been paid to the longitudinal links between family mutuality, depression, and anxiety in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: We used self-administered questionnaires to collect data from three high schools and two middle schools in Chengdu City at two time points: Time 1 (T1), December 23, 2019-January 13, 2020; Time 2 (T2), June 16-July 8, 2020. The sample consisted of 7,958 participants who completed two wave surveys before and after the COVID-19 lockdown. We analyzed the data using cross-lagged structural equation modeling.
Results: The longitudinal cross-lagged model showed family mutuality at T1 significantly predicted depression, anxiety, and family mutuality at T2. We observed a decreasing prevalence of depression and anxiety after the COVID-19 lockdown.
Conclusion: Family mutuality plays an important role in mitigating long-term mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. More family-centered psychological interventions could be developed to alleviate mental health disorders during lockdowns.
Implications: Improving family mutuality (e.g., mutual support, interaction, and caring among family members) could be beneficial for reducing mental health disorders among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: COVID‐19; Chinese adolescents; anxiety; depression; family mutuality.
© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.