Abstract
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.
Highlights
Throughout the pandemic there has been cross-sectoral concern about the short- and long-term psychological impact of COVID-19 and the societal measures put in place to curtail its spread
Whilst the psychological impact of the pandemic has been seen across society, COVID-19 has been argued to have affected young people’s mental health [1,2]
This paper has highlighted the myriad ways in which the pandemic has impacted young people’s mental health, which they frequently described in ways that echoed diagnostic nosology
Summary
Throughout the pandemic there has been cross-sectoral concern about the short- and long-term psychological impact of COVID-19 and the societal measures put in place to curtail its spread. Whilst the psychological impact of the pandemic has been seen across society, COVID-19 has been argued to have affected young people’s mental health [1,2]. It is predicted that “1.5 million children and young people will require mental health support as a direct impact of the pandemic during the three to five years” [8]. Creating appropriate mental health support has, already been argued to be an integral part of addressing both the short- and long-term consequences of the pandemic [9]
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