The proportion of young people experiencing mental health problems has nearly doubled in just over a decade, a new report suggests.
More than four in 10 young people were above the threshold for “probable mental ill health”, indicating high levels of psychological distress.
The 44% study finding is higher than the 23% in a similar 2007 study and suggests a decrease in the mental health and the well-being of young people has likely been accelerated by the pandemic, the researchers said.
Girls suffer worse mental health
A sample of almost 13,000 young people from across England who were in Year 11 in 2021 also found differences in the mental health of boys and girls, with the latter faring worse.
The researchers said those who identified as female reported elevated psychological distress (54%), self-harm (23%), and suicide attempts (11%).
Of those who identified as male, one-third (33%) reported distress, 11% self-harmed, and 5% attempted suicide.
Respondents who identified as non-binary or “otherwise” were more likely to report poor mental health than those who identified as male or female.
Of this group, 69% reported high psychological distress, 61% self-harmed, and 35% attempted suicide.
And more than half (54%) said they had been bullied at school, compared to an average of 24% among other survey participants.
Impacts of the long COVID
The COSMO study is the largest study of its kind on the impacts of the pandemic on young people. It was run jointly by University College London (UCL) and the Sutton Trust and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of the UK Research and Innovation response to COVID-19.
It found that higher levels of psychological distress were reported among those who have had long-term COVID or had to protect themselves during the pandemic, with two-thirds suffering from severe long-term COVID reporting high psychological distress.
The researchers said there needs to be better funding set aside for mental health support in all schools, well-funded and sustainable mental health support for youth, including preventive and early intervention services, and targeted support for non-binary students. and transgender.
Read more:
Sky correspondent’s long fight against COVID
It is necessary to address the “big systematic problems”
The study’s principal investigator, Dr. Jake Anders, said the findings continue a trend seen over the past 10 years, indicating that the pandemic is not entirely to blame and that “big systemic problems” need to be addressed.
“The level of youth whose responses suggest concern for their mental health is staggering. And youth particularly affected by the events of the pandemic are among those with the highest levels of distress,” she said.
“But the levels reached are the continuation of a trend that is evident over the last decade or so. While the COVID-19 pandemic has likely accelerated this trend, we shouldn’t place all the blame for this image on its doorstep. Things were bad before, and that means there are big systemic problems that need to be fixed. This problem will not get better on its own.”
