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Objective: This cross-sectional, case-control study aimed to explore the psychodynamic characteristics that influenced adolescents' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Personality structure impairments, psychodynamic conflicts, defense styles, and mental health issues were examined using the OPD-Structure- and Conflict-Questionnaires, the Defense Style Questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire in adolescents before (n = 288) and after (n = 451) the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Results: Adolescents with mental health issues exhibited greater impairments in personality structure, more immature defense styles, and higher levels of psychodynamic conflicts both before and after the pandemic onset. Comparisons between pre-pandemic and pandemic samples indicated a lower level of the conflict of taking care of oneself versus being cared for in passive mode among adolescents during the pandemic. In-depth analysis of adolescents with mental health issues from the pandemic group revealed significant associations between personality structure impairments and a maladaptive defense style with somatoform, depressive, anxiety, eating, and alcohol use disorders. Conclusion: The findings provide clinically relevant insights into the psychodynamic factors that contributed to the psychological vulnerability of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. These insights can guide the development of targeted psychodynamic interventions to support adolescents' mental health in similar future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study assessed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions/lockdowns on physical activity levels, bodymass, quadriceps strength, and gait biomechanics over 18 months. Methods: Ten healthy men were assessed at baseline (~14 wk before first lockdown) and 17.9 ± 0.3 months later (<1 wk after second lockdown). At both times, physical activity levels, body mass, and quadriceps strength were acquired using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, a force plate, and a dynamometer, respectively. Gait data were also acquired using a motion capture system and force plates during self-paced walking, from which spatiotemporal parameters, knee angles, and externalmoments were computed. Baseline and follow-upmeasurements were compared using two-tailed paired t-tests (a = 0.05). Results: At follow-up, participants spent less time doing vigorous physical activity (Δ = -76 ± 157 min·wk-1, P = 0.048), exhibited a tendency toward increased sedentary time (Δ = +120 ± 162 min·d-1, P = 0.056), weighedmore (Δ = +2.5 ± 2.8 kg, P = 0.021), and showed a trend toward reduced quadriceps strength (Δ = -0.29 ± 0.45 (N·m)·kg-1, P = 0.071) compared with baseline. At follow-up, participants walked slower (Δ = -0.09 ± 0.07 m·s-1, P = 0.005), had greater knee flexion angles at heel strike (Δ = +2.2° ± 1.8°, P = 0.004) and during late stance (Δ = +2.2° ± 1.8°, P = 0.004), had reduced knee extension moments (Δ = -0.09 ± 0.09 (N·m)·kg-1, P = 0.012) and knee internal rotationmoments (Δ = -0.02 ± 0.02 (N·m)·kg-1, P = 0.012) during late stance. Conclusions: Healthymen exhibited reduced physical activity levels, increased body weight, a tendency toward reduced quadriceps strength, and altered gait biomechanics over the initial 18months of the COVID-19 pandemic--alterations that could have far-reaching health consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]