Association of the COVID-19 lockdown and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) in Korean adolescents

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic that causes anxiety. Research on possible risk factors for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. In this study, we examined 54,890 participants’ web-based self-reported data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 2020. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire was used to measure anxiety levels. The prevalence of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score ≥ 10) was 11.2%. Anxiety in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.09), low family affluence scale (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03–1.34), economic aid (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01–1.23), financial difficulties caused by COVID-19 (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.11–1.26), substance use (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.05–1.37), asthma (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.08–1.37), allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01–1.15), atopic dermatitis (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01–1.17), severe stress (OR = 10.01, 95% CI: 8.40–12.03), perceived unhealthy status (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.52–1.82), perceived unhappiness (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 2.12–3.11), internet addiction (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.85–2.10), school violence experience (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.29–1.97), depression (OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 2.60–2.97), suicidal ideation (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.79–2.11), suicidal plan (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.30–1.69), and suicidal attempt (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04–1.45). These results highlight the risk factors for anxiety and offer a straightforward method for identifying teenagers who are more likely to experience anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.