Posttraumatic Stress in Youth during Covid-19: A Narrative Review

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress (PTSS/PTSD) in youth during COVID-19 has widely ranged from 3% in China to 69% in Bangladesh. It has also varied by age group, type of questionnaire and whether it was assessed during a lockdown or during the non-lockdown pandemic. In several studies reviewed here, PTSS/PTSD has been highly correlated with anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances, suggesting the comorbidity of those problems. Risk factors or correlates of PTSS/PTSD in youth during COVID-19 have included older age, female gender, parent PTSD, loneliness, missing friends, fear of infection and lack of exercise. Methodological limitations of this literature include the cross-sectional nature of the data collection and the lack of studies on potential underlying mechanisms.