Self-rated health (SRH) is a robust predictor of long-term health outcomes across the lifespan, yet its developmental course and psychosocial determinants during adolescence remain understudied. We examined 1) whether adolescent SRH trajectories shifted before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) if psychosocial resources influenced these trajectories. Using data from the United Kingdom’s Household Longitudinal Study, we tracked a sample of n=2,413 adolescents, aged 10-15 years, over a 5-year follow-up period, pre-, peri- and post-pandemic. Latent Variable Autoregressive Latent Trajectory (LV-ALT) models, within a structural equation modelling framework, captured both the stability and changeability of SRH over time, while assessing the influence of psychosocial covariates on the latent intercept and slope of SRH. Adolescent SRH displayed significant stability, with minimal population-level change throughout the pandemic. LV-ALT models revealed that psychosocial resources significantly shaped change in SRH. Higher levels of neighbourhood social capital scores were associated with better baseline SRH (β=.09, p=.01) and with positive increases in SRH over time (β=.02, p=.04). Conversely, higher levels of baseline life satisfaction (β=-.02, p<.001) and family support (β=-.04, p=.04) were associated with greater declines in SRH over time. Adolescent SRH responses remained largely stable and autoregressive throughout the pandemic, but its trajectory was shaped by certain psychosocial resources. Neighbourhood social capital played a distinct role in supporting positive SRH change throughout the pandemic. Targeted investments in family- and neighbourhood-level social may help foster healthier developmental trajectories for adolescents.

Authors:
Bill Calvey, University College London, United Kingdom
James Laurence, University College London, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Bill Calvey is currently a Research Fellow at University College London’s (UCL) Social Research Institute, in the United Kingdom. Dr Calvey examines health anxiety and subjective health perceptions, through prospective cohort studies.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billcalvey/

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