- Increased screen time during COVID-19 was strongly associated with belonging to a class characterised by high psychological impact related to social isolation.
- Alcohol consumption during the pandemic raised the likelihood of adolescents experiencing high psychological impact related to social isolation.
- Girls were more vulnerable to high psychological impact, with a high prevalence of increased screen use and isolation related symptoms.
Cien Saude Colet. 2026 Oct 30;31(10):e05872024. doi: 10.1590/1413-812320263110.05872024. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
The objective of this article is to describe the prevalence and patterns of psychological impacts related to social isolation among adolescents and their association with sociodemographic variables, alcohol use and screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the #Tamojunto2.0 drug use prevention program. The sample was 529 eighth-year students from 73 public schools, randomly selected in the cities of São Paulo, Fortaleza and Eusébio, occurring between February 2019 and August 2021. The explanatory variables were: (1) socioeconomic level; (2) alcohol use and (3) screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who reported having increased screen time were more likely to belong to a class with a high psychological impact related to the pandemic. This chance was also increased in adolescents who consumed alcoholic beverages. Girls were more vulnerable to experiencing high psychological impact during the pandemic. The study highlighted the high prevalence of increased screen use by adolescents, in addition to the occurrence of psychological impacts related to isolation.
PMID:42987057 | DOI:10.1590/1413-812320263110.05872024
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