Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceived impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns among early adolescents in the northwest of England, as well as explore the self-care and coping strategies that helped the young people continue to thrive. Fourteen adolescents, 9 boys and 5 girls, were recruited from four secondary schools in North West England. Remote online interviews were conducted. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data and four themes were identified: (1) change: ‘life feels weird’; (2) embracing lockdown; (3) feelings of loss; and (4) stress, worry and challenge. Processes identified will be able to help inform policy and practice for supporting adolescents in the future, including the promotion of positive coping strategies and the provision of resources for young people, schools and families.
Highlights
Practice for supporting adolescents in the future, including the promotion of positive coping strategies and the provision of resources for young people, schools and families
This study set out to explore the experiences of early adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience processes across various socio-ecological domains, and the self-care and coping strategies adopted to support their mental health and wellbeing
The findings suggest that implementing a structured family routine may be beneficial to adolescents’ wellbeing, and parents could support adolescents in developing a daily schedule so that they feel a sense of control and structure, while accomplishing all of their daily school assignments on time
Summary
Practice for supporting adolescents in the future, including the promotion of positive coping strategies and the provision of resources for young people, schools and families. The COVID-19 pandemic, including both the disease itself and the associated prevention measures, presents particular challenges to adolescents (Dvorsky et al, 2020) Factors such as school closures, social distancing requirements, cancelled plans and loss of face-to-face relationships can all be especially difficult for young people to manage (Branquinho et al, 2020), at a time when they are already at a heightened vulnerability for mental health difficulties. Some evidence already exists for the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown on the mental health and wellbeing of young people. This study aims to explore early adolescents’ (11–14 years old) experiences during lockdown and on their return to formal schooling, focusing on both the perceived positive and negative impacts. There is evidence to suggest that, relative to adults, adolescents are at an increased likelihood of experiencing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, and heightened stress, including post-traumatic stress, as a result of COVID-19 (Liang et al, 2020; Pascual-sanchez et al, 2020; Raccanello et al, 2020)
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