Psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience: modelling adolescent mental health profiles during the COVID-19 pandemic

There has been concern about adolescent mental health during the pandemic. The current study examined adolescent mental health during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Using indicator of psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience, latent profile analysis was used to identify homogeneous mental health groups among young people aged 13–24 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 1971). Multinomial logistic regression was then used to examine which sociodemographic and psychosocial variables predicted latent class membership. Four classes were found. The largest class (Class 1, 37.2%) was characterised by <jats:italic>moderate symptomology and moderate wellbeing</jats:italic>. Class 2 (34.2%) was characterised by <jats:italic>low symptomology and high wellbeing,</jats:italic> while Class 3 (25.4%) was characterised by <jats:italic>moderate symptomology and high wellbeing.</jats:italic> Finally, Class 4 was the smallest (3.2%) and was characterised by <jats:italic>high symptomology and low wellbeing.</jats:italic> Compared to the <jats:italic>low symptomology, high wellbeing</jats:italic> class, all other classes were associated with less social engagement with friends, poorer family functioning, greater somatic symptoms, and a less positive model of self. A number of unique associations between the classes and predictor variables were identified. Although around two-thirds of adolescents reported moderate-to-high symptomology, most of these individuals also reported concurrent moderate-to-high levels of wellbeing, reflecting resilience. Furthermore, these findings demonstrate how a more comprehensive picture of mental health can be gained through adopting a dual-continua conceptualisation of mental health that incorporates both pathology and well-being. In this way, at-risk youth can be identified and interventions and resources targeted appropriately.