Commentary: A longitudinal exploration of the effects of the COVID ‐19 lockdowns for adolescents both with and without neurodevelopmental disorders – a reflection on Houghton et al. (2022)

Abstract

The lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had and continue to have severe and wide-ranging effects worldwide on mental health and loneliness. In this commentary, I summarise Houghton et al. (2022) who explored these effects longitudinally in adolescents in Western Australia, with and without a Neurodevelopmental Disorder (NDD), considering the strengths and weaknesses of the article and its importance to the field. Adolescents with NDD, who already had a high baseline rate of loneliness and mental health difficulties, did not find that this increased during COVID-19 lockdowns. However, adolescents without NDD, who began with a much lower baseline rate, found that this was elevated. There was variability in terms of different types of NDD, with adolescents who had ADHD reporting some positive effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. These findings highlight the importance of support for adolescents both with NDD and those without as the world emerges out of the pandemic.