Offline–but not online–autonomy and competence are associated with lower internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents in Perú

Adolescent developmental tasks, including autonomy and competence, have been disrupted by COVID-19-related lockdowns around the world. In this observational study, we investigate how a sense of subjective autonomy and competence, both online and offline, relate to anxiety and depression during COVID-19 among 2,390 low and middle-income adolescents (11-17 years) in Perú. As we hypothesize, our data indicated that higher offline–and not online–autonomy and competence were robustly associated with lower internalizing symptoms. While the online sphere might offer opportunities for adolescents to fulfill developmental tasks, we found that virtual experiences—even those that facilitate a sense of autonomy and competence—are insufficient means to cope with the negative effects of physical restrictions in the context of a global pandemic.