Teens in Covid Isolation 受疫情隔离影响的青少年

埃玛·戈德堡/文 曲磊/译

Before the pandemic， Aya Rajis days were jam-packed. She woke up at 6：30 a.m. and took the subway to school. At night， she practiced kick-flips with her skateboarding club and hosted “Twilight” movie nights for friends.

Once her school in Brooklyn turned to remote learning， the days grew long and lonely. She couldnt sleep， up until 4 a.m.， her mind racing with anxiety.

“I felt like I was trapped in my own little house and everyone was far away，” Aya， 14， said. “When youre with friends， youre completely distracted and you dont think about the bad stuff going on. During the beginning of quarantine， I was so alone.”

The social isolation of the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of many Americans. But the impact has been especially severe on teenagers.

Research shows that adolescents depend on their friendships to maintain a sense of self-worth and to manage anxiety and depression. A recent study of 3，300 high school students found that nearly one-third reported feeling unhappy or depressed in recent months. And while it might seem counterintuitive for a generation used to bonding with friends via texts， TikTok， Snapchat and Instagram， more than a quarter of those students said they did not feel connected to teachers， classmates or their school community.

The proportion of childrens emergency room visits related to mental health has increased significantly during the pandemic， highlighting concerns about the psychological effects that lockdowns and social distancing have had on youth， according to an analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children were more likely to report mental health problems if they had a parent who lost work or personally knew someone infected with coronavirus.

Granted， for some students， the beginning of quarantine brought a measure of relief. They no longer had cliques to impress or bullies to ward off. But that “honeymoon phase” passed quickly， according to Dr. Cora Breuner， a pediatrician. As stressful as adolescent relationships can be， they are also essential for the formation of personal identity.

An important part of teenage development is the realization that peers， not just parents， can be a source of emotional support. The twin crises of the pandemic and the economic downturn have imposed new personal hardships on students. Some are taking care of family members who have fallen sick with Covid-19; others have been thrust into dealing with their parents unemployment or financial strain. Being holed up at home makes it tough to lean on friends.

When school turned remote last spring， Catherine Khella， a health teacher in Brooklyn， asked her students to keep journals， which she read for signs of mental distress. Many were struggling but hesitant to reach out. One student wrote about feeling unmotivated to do schoolwork， getting frustrated with family members and experiencing emotions “like no other I have ever felt.”

The activities that young people previously relied on for stability and joy have been disrupted. Extracurricular clubs and birthday parties are mostly canceled. So are rites of passage like prom and homecoming. Students spend vast portions of their weeks staring at Zoom screens. Without school events and traditions to anticipate， many say they are struggling to get out of bed in the morning.

The isolation has been particularly challenging for young adults who struggle with chronic anxiety or depression， and who would typically rely on their social circles for comfort. Nicole DiMaio， who recently turned 19， developed techniques to manage her anxiety over the years. She talks to friends， hugs her mom， exercises and reads books. But nothing seemed to work during the early months of the pandemic.

Nicoles mother fell sick with Covid in late March after caring for a patient with coronavirus at Coney Island Hospital， where she works as a nurse. Nicole became her mothers caretaker， and her familys. She woke up daily at 5 a.m. to clean the house， watch over her younger sister and cook protein-rich foods， which she deposited outside her mothers bedroom door， while squeezing in schoolwork. Her mother did not want to be ventilated if her lungs failed， so each time she went to the emergency room seeking treatment， Nicole feared she might never come back.

Normally， Nicole would turn to her friends. But she couldnt see them in person， so instead she had to vent to them on Instagram and Snapchat. “Being 18 and taking it all in is a lot，” she said.

Researchers have begun investigating how todays high school students will bear the long-term consequences of the pandemic， in terms of their education and economic futures. Some psychologists speculate that socially， too， this young adult cohort could be stunted by the amount of time they have been forced to spend alone.

“Learning how to navigate the inner webs of relationships happens in high school，” said Dr. Jessi Gold， a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis. “When you retreat behind a computer， you lose some of those social skills.”

High school counselors and teenagers are exploring a few creative coping strategies. Nandini Ahuja， a social worker at Leadership and Public Service High School in New York， asked her students to write letters to someone or something they are grieving， whether a family member or a concept like senior prom.

Teenagers said the opportunity to confide in their teachers and school counselors has been essential， particularly because their parents might be more likely to dismiss mental health symptoms as standard adolescent mood swings.

As the months wear on， Aya is rebuilding healthy habits—spending time with friends outside， getting to sleep at a reasonable hour so she can feel energized for school. She has started meditating and listening to indie rock songs to calm her nerves. But she still wrestles with the amount of time she spends alone in her thoughts.

“Being in another persons presence makes you feel OK，” she said. “When I cant see my friends， I feel like the world is caving in.”

在新冠疫情暴發之前，阿雅·拉吉的生活忙碌而又充实。她每天早上6：30准时起床，乘地铁去上学;晚上则到滑板俱乐部练习脚尖翻板技术，并邀请朋友们一起观看《暮光之城》系列电影。

自从她在纽约市布鲁克林区的学校转为线上授课之后，日子对阿雅来说便变得漫长而又孤独。直到凌晨4点她都睡不着，满脑子焦虑。

14岁的阿雅说：“我感觉被困在了自己的小屋里，所有人都离得很远。与朋友们在一起的时候，注意力完全被分散，不会去想发生了什么糟糕的事情。刚开始隔离时，我感到非常孤独。”

因疫情而实施的社交隔离已经对很多美国人的心理健康产生了负面影响。而这种影响对青少年尤为严重。

有研究表明，青少年依赖朋友来保持自我价值感，来应对焦虑和抑郁。近期一项针对3300名高中生的研究发现，其中近三分之一的学生最近数月感到不快乐或沮丧。这些学生中有超过四分之一反映感到自己与老师、同学及学校“失联了”——习惯于依靠短信、TikTok、色拉布和照片墙与朋友保持联系的一代人有这种感觉，可能有些不可思议。

美国疾控中心发布的一份分析报告指出，疫情期间因心理健康问题前往医院儿童急诊室就诊的人数比例显著上升，这凸现了人们的担忧——担心实施疫情封锁和保持社交距离对青少年心理产生负面影响。

有家长失业或有熟人感染新冠的儿童更可能出现心理健康问题。

诚然，对一部分学生来说，隔离初期他们多少感到如释重负。他们无需再去迎合各种校园小帮派，或者躲避各种校园欺凌。然而用儿科医生科拉·布罗伊纳的话说，这段“兴奋的快乐日子”很快便过去了。青少年的人际关系可能给他们带来了压力，但同时也对他们形成自我认同至关重要。

青少年成长中的重要一环就是认识到，不仅父母，同龄人也能为自己提供情感支持。疫情和经济衰退的双重危机给学生们的个人生活带来了新的困难。有些学生要照顾感染新冠的家人;有些则不得不面对双亲失业或家庭经济拮据的困境。而居家隔离让他们难以从朋友那里获得支持。

去年春天学校开始采用线上授课时，布鲁克林区的一位心理健康教师凯瑟琳·赫拉要求她的学生写日记，她想从中发现学生心理焦虑的迹象。很多学生饱受焦虑折磨却不愿寻求帮助。一名学生在日记中提到自己缺乏写作业的动力，与家人的关系不融洽，并且经历着“从未有过的”情绪波动。

以前那些能帮助年轻人保持稳定、给他们带来快乐的活动都暂停了。课外俱乐部和生日聚会大多取消了。毕业舞会和校友返校节之类的庆祝活动也都停办了。学生们一周的大部分时间都是盯着云视频屏幕上网课。由于不需要像以往那样去学校参加各种例行活动，很多学生承认他们早上都赖床不起。

对那些饱受长期焦虑或抑郁煎熬以及那些通常依靠社交圈来寻求安慰的年轻人来说，居家隔离尤其难熬。刚过完19岁生日的妮科尔·迪马约这几年自己摸索出了一套应对焦虑的方法。她会与朋友谈心，拥抱母亲，锻炼和阅读。但是，这些方法在疫情最初的几个月似乎毫无作用。

妮科尔的母亲在康尼岛医院当护士，3月底因照顾一名新冠患者而感染了新冠。妮科尔于是承担起照顾母亲和全家的重担。她每天早上5点起床收拾屋子，照顾妹妹，烹制富含蛋白质的餐食，把做好的饭放在母亲卧室的门外，同时还要挤出时间完成作业。母亲出现呼吸衰竭时不想上呼吸机，所以每次母亲去急诊室接受治疗，妮科尔都担心母亲可能一去不返。

妮科尔通常会向朋友寻助。但是现在她无法与朋友见面，所以只能登陆照片墙和色拉布向他们吐露心声。她说：“18岁就要承担这一切太难了。”

研究人员已经开始研究今天的高中生在教育和经济前景方面将如何承受疫情带来的长期影响。一些心理学家认为，在社交方面，被迫长时间独处也可能对刚刚成年的这一年轻群体的社交产生妨碍。

圣路易斯华盛顿大学精神病学家杰西·戈尔德博士说：“高中阶段要学会处理内部人际关系。如果一直待在电脑屏幕前，便无法掌握某些社交技能。”

高中辅导员和青少年们正在尝试一些有创意的应对策略。纽约领导力和公共服务高中的社工南迪妮·阿胡贾要求学生给某人写信或把他们感到悲伤的事物写出来，可以写给家人，也可以描写类似高中毕业舞会的主题。

青少年们认为，向老师或学校辅导员吐露心声的机会对他们而言非常重要，特别是因为父母可能更容易把他们的心理健康症状仅仅看作一般的青春期情绪波动。

几个月过去了，阿雅正在恢复健康的生活习惯：与朋友外出，该睡觉时就睡觉，这样就能精神抖擞地上课学习。她开始练习冥想和欣赏独立摇滚歌曲，让自己放松。然而，她内心依然为长时间独处纠结不安。

她说：“有朋友陪伴身边，我会感到一切都好; 看不到朋友，我就觉得整个世界都要塌了。”