We hypothesized that participants would identify similar physical but worsened mental health during the pandemic. While much research has focused on this topic, few studies have compared lived experiences during the pandemic to a truly pre-pandemic time point, which has limited our understanding of the pandemic’s influence. This worsening crisis in child and adolescent mental health is inextricably tied to the stress brought on by COVID-19 and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and represents an acceleration of trends observed prior to 2020. Human Rights Watch lists other discriminations disabled people face, such as an increased risk of violence.
Factors affecting mental health
Young people were generally positive about the support they received from their families in relation to understanding and coping with COVID. Young people themselves found it stressful trying to do schoolwork in their home environment, which had not been designed as an environment for learning and where they often lacked resources and space. When hobbies and outdoors social interaction were allowed, young people described it being not quite the same as it had been before. However, even when back at school with restrictions, there were elements of this that young people described as “horrible” because they had been placed in bubbles and could not mix these to spend time with their friends. Young people felt they had https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2035710 “lost touch” (Adam, aged 14) with school and friends, causing them to feel socially isolated and described feeling “panic” (Ciara, aged 14) about this. One important loss for young people was not being able to spend time with friends and family out of the house.
Predictors and potential causes of mental health symptoms
As shown in Table 1, meta-analyses on mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reach consistent conclusions and indicate that there has been a heterogeneous, statistically significant but small increase in self-reported mental health problems, with pooled effect sizes ranging from 0.07 to 0.27. Despite a small increase in self-reported mental health problems, this has (so far) not translated into objectively measurable increased rates of mental disorders, self-harm or suicide rates at the population level. WHO’s most recent pulse survey on continuity of essential health services indicated that 90% of countries are working to provide mental health and psychosocial support to COVID-19 patients and responders alike. Throughout the pandemic, WHO has also worked to promote the integration of mental health and psychosocial support across and within all aspects of the global response.
- According to a scientific brief from the WHO, there’s been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide.
- There is substantial heterogeneity across studies that evaluated how the COVID pandemic impacted on mental health13,14,15.
- In subsequent analyses, we tested the influence of different pre-pandemic risk factors (social anxiety, childhood trauma, and life events) and resources (self-efficacy and coping strategies) on the trajectory of self-reported psychological strain.
- Academic pressure and worries around workloads were common and so initiatives to address gaps in learning will need to be sensitive to these concerns without creating additional stress.
- Similar to anxiety, depression mean scores for each study indicated levels from none to mild.
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For young people without a history of mental health difficulties and/or SEN/ND, the experience of “not knowing what’s happening with, like all sorts of things” (Adam, aged 14) was described in ways that implied that the level of stress was manageable. Ruminating and worrying about events that had already occurred that day, or during increased periods of free time was common, with young people describing “sitting around on their own getting stressed about work and things like that” (Fred, aged 15). Being able to use this time to focus on themselves without having to “accommodate to other people” (Bridget, aged 14) was particularly valued by those with pre-existing mental health or physical health difficulties.
Fifty percent of young adults (ages 18-24) reported anxiety and depression symptoms in 2023, making them more likely than older adults to experience mental health symptoms (Figure 2). In the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, the share of U.S. adults who said worry and stress related to the coronavirus was having a negative impact on their mental health increased from about one-third (32%) in March 2020 to roughly half (53%) in July 2020. This analysis from the March KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds that those hardest hit by the mental health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have been younger people and women, including mothers. By identifying and supporting vulnerable individuals early, these programs aim to reduce the prevalence and impact of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders. Early interventions can address risk factors such as trauma, stress, and social isolation before they escalate into severe mental health disorders. These social ties are protective factors that can buffer against stress and reduce the risk of developing mental health disorders.
