How Do Caregiving and Physiology Affect Teens' Stress During COVID-19?

What you need to know

• Teens’ stress responses to COVID-19 were influenced by the quality of their caregiving relationships and their own physiological regulation abilities
• Teens with better physiological regulation were more sensitive to both positive and negative aspects of their caregiving environment
• Supporting positive caregiving and teens’ self-regulation skills may help reduce stress during challenging times

How did COVID-19 affect teens’ mental health?

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented stress and disruption into the lives of adolescents and their families. Schools closed, social interactions became limited, and many families faced increased financial and health-related worries.

This study looked at how teens were impacted psychologically by the pandemic, specifically focusing on post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). PTSS can include things like having nightmares, feeling on edge, avoiding reminders of stressful events, and having intrusive thoughts or memories.

The researchers found that teens’ levels of PTSS increased significantly during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before. Before the pandemic, about 6% of teens in the study reported PTSS in the clinical range. During the pandemic, this more than doubled to nearly 17% reporting clinical levels of PTSS.

This increase in stress symptoms makes sense given the major disruptions and uncertainties teens were facing. However, not all teens were impacted equally. The study aimed to understand what factors influenced how teens responded to the stress of the pandemic.

What influences teens’ stress responses?

The researchers looked at two key factors that they thought might affect how teens coped with pandemic stress:

1. The quality of teens’ relationships with their caregivers
2. Teens’ physiological regulation abilities

Let’s break down what each of these means and why they might be important.

Caregiving relationships

The relationship between teens and their primary caregivers (usually parents) can have a big impact on how teens handle stress. Two aspects of caregiving were examined:

Attachment security: This refers to how safe, supported, and understood teens feel in their relationship with their caregiver. Teens with secure attachment tend to view their caregiver as a “safe haven” they can turn to when stressed.

Caregiver mental health: The study looked at caregivers’ levels of anxiety, depression, and other internalizing symptoms. When caregivers struggle with their own mental health, it can affect their ability to support their teen.

Physiological regulation

The researchers were also interested in teens’ physiological ability to regulate their stress response. They measured this using a metric called respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA).

RSA reflects how well the parasympathetic nervous system is working. The parasympathetic nervous system helps us calm down and self-soothe when we’re stressed. It’s sometimes called the “rest and digest” system.

Higher resting RSA generally indicates better parasympathetic control and a more flexible stress response. Lower resting RSA may mean less ability to calm oneself physiologically when stressed.

How do caregiving and physiology work together?

The key finding of this study was that teens’ physiological regulation (RSA) affected how much they were influenced by their caregiving environment.

Teens with higher RSA seemed to be more sensitive to both the positive and negative aspects of their caregiving relationships:

• Teens with high RSA and very secure attachment showed the lowest levels of stress symptoms during COVID-19
• But teens with high RSA and low attachment security showed the highest levels of stress symptoms

Similarly, for caregiver mental health:

• Teens with high RSA whose caregivers had few mental health symptoms showed very low stress
• But teens with high RSA whose caregivers had more mental health struggles showed higher stress levels

Interestingly, teens with lower or average RSA didn’t seem to be as affected by these caregiving factors. Their stress levels stayed more consistent regardless of attachment security or caregiver mental health.

What does this mean?

These findings support a theory called “differential susceptibility.” This theory suggests that some individuals are more sensitive to their environment in general - for better and for worse.

In this case, teens with higher RSA (better physiological regulation) seemed to be more impacted by both positive and negative aspects of their caregiving relationships.

We can think of it like this: Teens with high RSA may be more “tuned in” to their social environment. When that environment is very positive and supportive, they thrive. But when it’s more negative or stressful, they struggle more.

Teens with lower RSA, on the other hand, seemed less affected by these relationship factors. Their stress levels were more consistent regardless of caregiving quality.

Why does this matter?

Understanding these patterns can help us better support teens during stressful times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Some key takeaways are:

1. Caregiving matters: The quality of teens’ relationships with caregivers had a big impact on their stress levels during COVID-19. Supporting positive parenting and caregiver mental health could help buffer teens from stress.

2. Physiology plays a role: Teens’ own biological capacity for stress regulation affected how they responded to their environment. Teens with high RSA may need extra support in challenging environments, but may also benefit more from very positive environments.

3. One size doesn’t fit all: Different teens may need different types of support based on their physiological sensitivity and caregiving context. Personalized approaches may be most effective.

What can we do to help?

Based on these findings, there are several ways we might be able to support teens’ mental health during stressful periods:

1. Promote secure attachment: Help caregivers understand the importance of being emotionally available, responsive, and consistent. This can help teens feel more secure in their relationships.

2. Support caregiver mental health: Providing resources and support for caregivers’ own mental health and stress management can have positive ripple effects for teens.

3. Teach stress management skills: Helping teens develop their own stress regulation abilities through techniques like mindfulness, deep breathing, or biofeedback could be beneficial.

4. Personalized support: Recognizing that teens may differ in their sensitivity to environmental influences can help tailor interventions more effectively.

5. Create supportive environments: While individual factors matter, creating generally supportive school and community environments can benefit all teens.

Conclusions

• Teens’ stress responses to COVID-19 were influenced by both caregiving quality and their own physiological regulation abilities
• Teens with better physiological regulation (higher RSA) were more sensitive to both positive and negative aspects of their caregiving environment
• Supporting positive caregiving relationships, caregiver mental health, and teens’ own stress management skills may help reduce mental health impacts during challenging times
• Personalized approaches that consider both environmental and individual factors may be most effective in supporting teen mental health