1.22 “Bored, Lonely, Sad, Thankful, Tired”: A Qualitative Report of Adolescents’ Feelings at the End of the First COVID-19 School Year

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated youths' mental health, which was already in crisis. The transition from in-school to virtual platforms increased student stress, anxiety, depression, and fatigue, and contributed to social isolation and loneliness. Despite negativity commonly associated with COVID-19, youth have also reported positive feelings and experiences that are associated with resilience. In this project, we describe a qualitative analysis of adolescent feelings at the end of the first school year during the COVID-19 pandemic.