Author(s) :

Addya Agarwal.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The retention of memories from the COVID-19 pandemic has been studied across various age groups to understand the impact of trauma on memory. While the majority of research indicates that older adults retain more positive memories of the pandemic and younger adults retain more negative or balanced memories, previous studies have not examined memory retention for those under 18 at the onset of the pandemic. This study addressed this gap through an exploratory qualitative phenomenological approach, conducting interviews with eight female high school juniors from one narrowly defined school context to explore whether students retained more positive or negative memories and sentiments from the pandemic. The study found that participants retained far more negative than positive memories, highlighting an adolescent tendency to recall more negative memories of this period. Rather than establishing direct clinical applications, these exploratory findings suggest that the relationship between age, trauma, and memory retention warrants further investigation to help inform future research on adolescent counseling and support services.