REACT study protocol: resilience after the COVID-19 threat (REACT) in adolescents

Alicia Joanne Smith; Laura Moreno-López; Eugenia Davidson; Maria Dauvermann; Sofia Orellana; Emma Soneson; Konstantinos Ioannidis; Muzaffer Kaser; Anne Laura Van Harmelen

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042824

REACT study protocol: resilience after the COVID-19 threat (REACT) in adolescents

Alicia Joanne Smith^*, Laura Moreno-López, Eugenia Davidson, Maria Dauvermann, Sofia Orellana, Emma Soneson, Konstantinos Ioannidis, Muzaffer Kaser, Anne Laura Van Harmelen

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19-related social isolation and stress may have significant mental health effects, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression. These factors are thought to disproportionately affect populations at risk of psychopathology, such as adolescents with a history of childhood adversity (CA). Therefore, examining which factors may buffer the impact of COVID-19-related stress and isolation in vulnerable adolescents is critical. The Resilience After the COVID-19 Threat (REACT) study assesses whether emotion regulation capacity, inflammation and neuroimmune responses to stress induced in the laboratory prior to the pandemic predict responses to COVID-19-related social isolation and stress in adolescents with CA. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms that enable vulnerable adolescents to maintain or regain good mental health when confronted with COVID-19.

Methods and analysis: We recruited 79 adolescents aged 16-26 with CA experiences from the Resilience After Individual Stress Exposure study in which we assessed emotion regulation, neural and immune stress responses to an acute stress task. Our sample completed questionnaires at the start of the UK lockdown ('baseline'; April 2020) and three (July 2020) and 6 months later (October 2020) providing crucial longitudinal information across phases of the pandemic progression and government response. The questionnaires assess (1) mental health, (2) number and severity of life events, (3) physical health, (4) stress perception and (5) loneliness and friendship support. We will use multilevel modelling to examine whether individual differences at baseline are associated with responses to COVID-19-related social isolation and stress.

Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee (PRE.2020.037). Results of the REACT study will be disseminated in publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals, presentations at scientific conferences and meetings, publications and presentations for the general public, and through social media.

Original language	English
Article number	e042824
Journal	BMJ open
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042824
Publication status	Published - 20 Jan 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding The REACT study is funded by two grants from the Royal Society to A-LvH (RGF\EA\180029 and RGF\R1\180064). This work was further supported by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship for A-LvH (DH150176), a Wolfe Health fellowship for LM-L, and a Gates Cambridge Scholarship (OPP1144) for ES.

Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.

Keywords

child & adolescent psychiatry
COVID-19
neurobiology
psychiatry

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine(all)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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SmithAJ2021REACTFinal published version, 345 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

Cite this

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title = "REACT study protocol: resilience after the COVID-19 threat (REACT) in adolescents",

abstract = "Introduction: COVID-19-related social isolation and stress may have significant mental health effects, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression. These factors are thought to disproportionately affect populations at risk of psychopathology, such as adolescents with a history of childhood adversity (CA). Therefore, examining which factors may buffer the impact of COVID-19-related stress and isolation in vulnerable adolescents is critical. The Resilience After the COVID-19 Threat (REACT) study assesses whether emotion regulation capacity, inflammation and neuroimmune responses to stress induced in the laboratory prior to the pandemic predict responses to COVID-19-related social isolation and stress in adolescents with CA. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms that enable vulnerable adolescents to maintain or regain good mental health when confronted with COVID-19. Methods and analysis: We recruited 79 adolescents aged 16-26 with CA experiences from the Resilience After Individual Stress Exposure study in which we assessed emotion regulation, neural and immune stress responses to an acute stress task. Our sample completed questionnaires at the start of the UK lockdown ('baseline'; April 2020) and three (July 2020) and 6 months later (October 2020) providing crucial longitudinal information across phases of the pandemic progression and government response. The questionnaires assess (1) mental health, (2) number and severity of life events, (3) physical health, (4) stress perception and (5) loneliness and friendship support. We will use multilevel modelling to examine whether individual differences at baseline are associated with responses to COVID-19-related social isolation and stress. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee (PRE.2020.037). Results of the REACT study will be disseminated in publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals, presentations at scientific conferences and meetings, publications and presentations for the general public, and through social media. ",

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note = "Funding Information: Funding The REACT study is funded by two grants from the Royal Society to A-LvH (RGF\EA\180029 and RGF\R1\180064). This work was further supported by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship for A-LvH (DH150176), a Wolfe Health fellowship for LM-L, and a Gates Cambridge Scholarship (OPP1144) for ES. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.",

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AU - Smith, Alicia Joanne

AU - Moreno-López, Laura

AU - Davidson, Eugenia

AU - Dauvermann, Maria

AU - Orellana, Sofia

AU - Soneson, Emma

AU - Ioannidis, Konstantinos

AU - Kaser, Muzaffer

AU - Van Harmelen, Anne Laura

N1 - Funding Information: Funding The REACT study is funded by two grants from the Royal Society to A-LvH (RGF\EA\180029 and RGF\R1\180064). This work was further supported by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship for A-LvH (DH150176), a Wolfe Health fellowship for LM-L, and a Gates Cambridge Scholarship (OPP1144) for ES. Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.

PY - 2021/1/20

Y1 - 2021/1/20

N2 - Introduction: COVID-19-related social isolation and stress may have significant mental health effects, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression. These factors are thought to disproportionately affect populations at risk of psychopathology, such as adolescents with a history of childhood adversity (CA). Therefore, examining which factors may buffer the impact of COVID-19-related stress and isolation in vulnerable adolescents is critical. The Resilience After the COVID-19 Threat (REACT) study assesses whether emotion regulation capacity, inflammation and neuroimmune responses to stress induced in the laboratory prior to the pandemic predict responses to COVID-19-related social isolation and stress in adolescents with CA. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms that enable vulnerable adolescents to maintain or regain good mental health when confronted with COVID-19. Methods and analysis: We recruited 79 adolescents aged 16-26 with CA experiences from the Resilience After Individual Stress Exposure study in which we assessed emotion regulation, neural and immune stress responses to an acute stress task. Our sample completed questionnaires at the start of the UK lockdown ('baseline'; April 2020) and three (July 2020) and 6 months later (October 2020) providing crucial longitudinal information across phases of the pandemic progression and government response. The questionnaires assess (1) mental health, (2) number and severity of life events, (3) physical health, (4) stress perception and (5) loneliness and friendship support. We will use multilevel modelling to examine whether individual differences at baseline are associated with responses to COVID-19-related social isolation and stress. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee (PRE.2020.037). Results of the REACT study will be disseminated in publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals, presentations at scientific conferences and meetings, publications and presentations for the general public, and through social media.

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REACT study protocol: resilience after the COVID-19 threat (REACT) in adolescents

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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