Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19
The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represented a significant global event that disrupted the typical social lives of adolescents. Studies show that the pandemic negatively impacted adolescent well-being. Very little is known about the social–cognitive implications of wide-scale soci...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Adolescents |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/5/2/11 |
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| author | Meghan L. Maynard Huma Khalid Zahra Karimi Valoojerdy Victoria Talwar Sandra L. Bosacki |
| author_facet | Meghan L. Maynard Huma Khalid Zahra Karimi Valoojerdy Victoria Talwar Sandra L. Bosacki |
| author_sort | Meghan L. Maynard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represented a significant global event that disrupted the typical social lives of adolescents. Studies show that the pandemic negatively impacted adolescent well-being. Very little is known about the social–cognitive implications of wide-scale social distancing, school closures, and the transition to digital modes of communication for adolescents. This study aims to compare affective Theory of Mind (ToM), self-esteem, and self-perceptions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on existing data, this study compared two distinct but comparable samples of adolescents. Data from the pre-COVID-19 sample were collected in the 2016/2017 school year (<i>N</i> = 145, 60.7% female and 39.3% male, mean age 13.38 years. Data from the post-COVID-19 sample were collected over the 2021/2022 school year (<i>N</i> = 107 participants, 51% female, 48% male, and 1% genderqueer, mean age of 13 years). Independent-sample <i>t</i>-tests and two-tailed correlational analysis were used to compare associations and changes in affective ToM, self-perceptions, and self-esteem between the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 samples. The main findings of this study includes declines in affective ToM post-COVID-19, specifically related to the perception of negative affect. Further, perceived self-worth and behavioural conduct declined after the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for social–emotional learning and future research are discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4e2d76ecd52d4ee6aa1c7a6429e1e278 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-7051 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Adolescents |
| spelling | doaj-art-4e2d76ecd52d4ee6aa1c7a6429e1e2782025-08-20T02:24:01ZengMDPI AGAdolescents2673-70512025-04-01521110.3390/adolescents5020011Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19Meghan L. Maynard0Huma Khalid1Zahra Karimi Valoojerdy2Victoria Talwar3Sandra L. Bosacki4Faculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, CanadaFaculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, CanadaFaculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, CanadaFaculty of Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, CanadaFaculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, CanadaThe coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represented a significant global event that disrupted the typical social lives of adolescents. Studies show that the pandemic negatively impacted adolescent well-being. Very little is known about the social–cognitive implications of wide-scale social distancing, school closures, and the transition to digital modes of communication for adolescents. This study aims to compare affective Theory of Mind (ToM), self-esteem, and self-perceptions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on existing data, this study compared two distinct but comparable samples of adolescents. Data from the pre-COVID-19 sample were collected in the 2016/2017 school year (<i>N</i> = 145, 60.7% female and 39.3% male, mean age 13.38 years. Data from the post-COVID-19 sample were collected over the 2021/2022 school year (<i>N</i> = 107 participants, 51% female, 48% male, and 1% genderqueer, mean age of 13 years). Independent-sample <i>t</i>-tests and two-tailed correlational analysis were used to compare associations and changes in affective ToM, self-perceptions, and self-esteem between the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 samples. The main findings of this study includes declines in affective ToM post-COVID-19, specifically related to the perception of negative affect. Further, perceived self-worth and behavioural conduct declined after the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for social–emotional learning and future research are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/5/2/11theory of mindself-esteemself-perceptionadolescentsCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Meghan L. Maynard Huma Khalid Zahra Karimi Valoojerdy Victoria Talwar Sandra L. Bosacki Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19 Adolescents theory of mind self-esteem self-perception adolescents COVID-19 |
| title | Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19 |
| title_full | Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19 |
| title_short | Adolescent Development in Unprecedented Times: A Comparative Study of Theory of Mind Before and After COVID-19 |
| title_sort | adolescent development in unprecedented times a comparative study of theory of mind before and after covid 19 |
| topic | theory of mind self-esteem self-perception adolescents COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/5/2/11 |
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