Debate: The impact of school closures and lockdown on mental health in young people

There is increasing evidence of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on various population groups, with concern particularly focused on young people’s mental health. However, few papers have engaged with the views of young people themselves. We present findings from a study into young people’s discussions on social media about the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health. Real-time, multi-platform online ethnography was used to collect social media posts by young people in the United Kingdom (UK), March 2020–March 2021, 1033 original posts and 13,860 associated comments were analysed thematically. Mental health difficulties that were described as arising from, or exacerbated by, school closures, lost opportunities or fraught family environments included depression, anxiety and suicidality. Yet, some also described improvements to their mental health, away from prior stressors, such as school. Young people also recounted anxiety at the ramifications of the virus on others. The complexities of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on young people, and how this impact is situated in their pre-existing social worlds, need recognising. Forging appropriate support necessitates looking beyond an individualised conceptualisation of young people’s mental health that sets this apart from broader societal concerns. Instead, both research and practice need to take a systemic approach, recognising young people’s societal belonging and social contexts.

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Report1: Impact of Covid-19 on young people aged 13-24 in the UK- preliminary findings

10.31234/osf.io/uq4rn ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liat Levita ◽

Jilly Gibson Miller ◽

Todd K. Hartman ◽

Jamie Murphy ◽

Mark Shevlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Health Anxiety ◽

Self Control ◽

Social Risk ◽

Need For Support ◽

The Uk ◽

Social Recovery ◽

The Impact

COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented disruption of normal social relationships and activities, which are so important during the teen years and young adulthood, and to education and economic activity worldwide. The impact of this on young people’s mental health and future prospects may affect their need for support and services, and the speed of the nation’s social recovery afterwards. This study focused on the unique challenges facing young people at different points during adolescent development, which spans from the onset of puberty until the mid-twenties. Although this is an immensely challenging time and there is a potential risk for long term trauma, adolescence can be a period of opportunity, where the teenagers’ brain enjoys greater capacity for change. Hence, the focus on young people is key for designing age-specific interventions and public policies, which can offer new strategies for instilling resilience, emotional regulation, and self-control. In fact, adolescents might be assisted to not only cope, but excel, in spite of the challenges imposed by this pandemic. Our work will feed into the larger societal response that utilizes the discoveries about adolescence in the way we raise, teach, and treat young people during this time of crisis. Wave 1 data has already been collected from 2,002 young people aged 13-24, measuring their mental health (anxiety, depression, trauma), family functioning, social networks, and resilience, and social risk-taking at the time of the pandemic. Here we present a preliminary report of our findings, (Report 1). Data collected 21/4/20- 29/4/20 - a month after the lockdown started).

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The Impact of Cash Transfers on Mental Health in Children and Young People in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3742275 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Annie Zimmerman ◽

Emily Garman ◽

Mauricio Avendano ◽

Ricardo Araya ◽

Sara Evans-Lacko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Young People ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cash Transfers ◽

Middle Income ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The Impact ◽

Low And Middle Income

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The Relationship Between Highly Visual Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18177 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alanna McCrory

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Young People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Published Evidence ◽

The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED Users of highly visual social media (HVSM), such as Snapchat and Instagram, share their messages through images, rather than relying on words. A significant proportion of people that use these platforms are adolescents. Previous research reveals mixed evidence regarding the impact of online social technologies on this age group’s mental wellbeing, but it is uncertain whether the psychological effects of visual content alone differ from text-driven social media. This scoping review maps existing literature that has published evidence about highly visual social media, specifically its psychological impact on young people. Nine electronic databases and grey literature from 2010 until March 2019 were reviewed for articles describing any aspect of visual social media, young people and their mental health. The screening process retrieved 239 articles. With the application of eligibility criteria, this figure was reduced to 25 articles for analysis. Results indicate a paucity of data that exclusively examines HVSM. The predominance of literature relies on quantitative methods to achieve its objectives. Many findings are inconsistent and lack the richness that qualitative data may provide to explore the reasons for theses mixed findings.

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people: A comparison between China and the United Kingdom

Chinese Journal of Traumatology ◽

10.1016/j.cjtee.2021.05.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ming-Bo Liu ◽

Géraldine Dufour ◽

Zhuo-Er Sun ◽

Julieta Galante ◽

Chen-Qi Xing ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Young People ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

The Impact

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Psychosocial Interventions Situated Within the Natural Environment with Young People Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Scoping Review

The British Journal of Social Work ◽

10.1093/bjsw/bcaa093 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Boddy ◽

Maddy Slattery ◽

Jianqiang Liang ◽

Hilary Gallagher ◽

Amanda Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Database Search ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Clinical Change ◽

Social Work Interventions ◽

The Impact

Abstract The natural environment is increasingly used in therapeutic psychosocial interventions for young people who have experienced trauma. However, as the research in this area has yet to be synthesised, very little is known about the types and outcomes of interventions. This prevents the optimisation of social work interventions in outdoor settings. Consequently, a scoping review of peer-reviewed research published from 2008 to 2018 was undertaken to examine how nature is being used in psychosocial interventions with young people aged ten to twenty-four years who have experienced trauma and the impact of these interventions on young people’s mental health. The database search identified 5,425 records; however, only ten papers met the inclusion criteria. These papers suggested that positive changes across a range of mental health outcomes for young people were achieved in psychosocial interventions which were situated in, or made use of the natural environment, although it is unclear whether the environment influenced the outcomes. The scoping review also highlighted the need for conducting further research that examines how environmental factors contribute to clinical change for young people who have experienced trauma.

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Improving lives not just saying no to substances: Evaluating outcomes for a young people’s substance use team trained in the AMBIT approach

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/1359104521994875 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 490-504

Author(s):

Peter Fuggle ◽

Laura Talbot ◽

James Wheeler ◽

Jessica Rees ◽

Emily Ventre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Young People ◽

Peer Relationships ◽

Functional Outcomes ◽

Daily Living ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Integrative Therapy ◽

The Impact

Adaptive Mentalization Based Integrative Therapy (AMBIT) is a systemic, mentalization based intervention designed for young people with multiple problems including mental health problems. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of this approach both on clinical and functional outcomes for young people seen by a specialist young people’s substance use service between 2015 and 2018. About 499 cases were seen by the service during this period. Substance use outcomes were obtained for 383 cases using the Treatment Outcome Profile (TOP). Cannabis and alcohol use were the key substance use problems for 81% and 63% respectively. Functional outcomes using the AMBIT Integrative Measure (AIM) were obtained for 100 cases covering domains of daily living, socio-economic context, peer relationships and mental health. At treatment end, cannabis use reduced significantly ( t = 10.78; df = 311; p = .00; Cohen’s d ES.61 as did alcohol use ( t = 6.938; df = 242; p = .000; ES 0.44). Functional improvements were shown in five out of seven domains with highly significant total functional improvements on key problems selected by the client ( t = 14.01; df = 99; p = .000; ES1.34). Measuring functional as well as clinical outcomes appears to reflect more accurately the overall benefit of the service to clients.

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Exploring experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young racially minoritised people in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study

10.31235/osf.io/t4wqs ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rochelle Ann Burgess ◽

Nancy Kanu ◽

Tanya Matthews ◽

Owen Mukotekwa ◽

Amina Smith-Gul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Survival Strategies ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Public Health Response ◽

Significant Research ◽

The Impact

Within high-income-countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from racially minoritised backgrounds. There has been significant research interrogating the disparate impact of the virus, and recently, interest in the long-term implications of the global crisis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, less work explores the experiences of young people from racialised backgrounds as they navigate the pandemic, and the specific consequences this has for their mental health. Forty young people (age 16-25) from black, mixed and other minority backgrounds and living in London, participated in consecutive focus group discussions over a two-month period, to explore the impact of the pandemic on their lives and emotional wellbeing. Thematic analysis identified seven categories describing the impact of the pandemic, indicating: deepening of existing socioeconomic and emotional challenges; efforts to navigate racism and difference within the response; and survival strategies drawing on communal and individual resources. Young people also articulated visions for a future public health response which addressed gaps in current strategies. Findings point to the need to contextualize public health responses to the pandemic in line with the lived experiences of racialised young people. We specifically note the importance of long-term culturally and socio-politically relevant support interventions. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

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Psychosocial Impacts of COVID-19 among University Students in Uruguay

10.31234/osf.io/w9rde ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tianna Loose ◽

Alejandro Vásquez-Echeverría

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

University Students ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

School Closures ◽

Related Factors ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

The novel coronavirus has taken a catastrophic toll worldwide on physical and mental health. We focused on the psychosocial impact among students in Uruguay, a country relatively protected from the pandemic. Our study had three main aims : 1) describe in detail the impact among university students, 2) identify relationships between different dimensions and 3) highlight the factors determinant of mental distress. We designed a multi-dimensional questionnaire to investigate the perceived impact on the lives of students. The questionnaire was administered to 144 undergraduates in Uruguay online while the university was closed. 38-66% of students indicated increases in signs of anxiety, depression or sleep disturbances. Independently of other related factors, increases in substance use, impairments in social relationships, negative impacts of school closures, and personal economic worries explained 41% of variance in psychological distress. Findings are discussed in terms of policies for public health and future directions for research on mental health.

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Exploring the impact of social inequality and poverty on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children and young people in Scotland

Improving Schools ◽

10.1177/1365480219835323 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 204-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Joan Gaynor Mowat

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Social Inequality ◽

Social Stratification ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Impact

The poverty-related attainment gap is an internationally recognised problem. There is growing recognition that it cannot either be understood or addressed without taking cognisance of children’s mental health and wellbeing. The focus of this conceptual article is to examine the impact of social inequality and poverty on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children and young people in Scotland through the lens of resilience. While not a ‘state of the art’ literature review, a systematic approach was adopted in the selection of the literature and in the identification of themes to emerge from it. A range of risk and protective factors at the individual, social, societal and political levels emerged as impacting on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children living in poverty, and three important mediating variables are the negative impact of social stratification and adverse childhood experiences and the positive impact of a supportive adult. Schools alone cannot solve the problem. The findings revealed that there is a need to build a strong infrastructure around families and schools and to examine how economic, social, health and educational policy interact with each other as a starting point in addressing the problem, supported by inter-disciplinary research.

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