'We are unlikely to return to the same world, and I do not want it to destroy my future.' Young people's worries through the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ragnhild Bjørknes,Ellen Haug,Stine Lehmann,Silje Mæland,Gro Mjeldheim Sandal

doi:10.1111/cfs.12878

Ragnhild Bjørknes, Ellen Haug + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12878

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Abstract

This study aims to explore what worries youth were having during the seventh to ninth week of the COVID‐19 lockdown. Our findings build on the responses to an open‐ended survey question from 1314 youths. The worries covered three main themes: ‘That my mom dies, then I am left all alone’: worries related to COVID‐19 virus infection; ‘To me, this is lost youth’: worries about the consequences of measures for the present life and near future; and ‘I will face a very difficult life in the future’: worries about the consequences of measures for the outlook on life. Young people worried that the measures would have a huge impact on their present life and outlook on life. The costs of restriction measures were unevenly distributed and indicated that the measures affected their mental health. Listening to youth voices during the pandemic is important for practitioners, educators and policymakers. The results indicate that the threshold for closing schools also including the provision of distance learning should be kept high. Social and health services for youth should offer early intervention and be prepared for an escalation in mental health problems in the imminent future.

Highlights

It is expected that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the disease and prolonged social distancing, will have major impacts on young people's wellbeing and future mental health (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control [ECDC], 2020)
This shows that perspectives and worries are related across the main topics and many of the concerns followed as a subsequent chain of worries
International research claims that it is expected that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the disease and prolonged social distancing, will have major impacts on young peoples' life and future (ECDC, 2020; Loades et al, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

It is expected that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the disease and prolonged social distancing, will have major impacts on young people's wellbeing and future mental health (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control [ECDC], 2020). This study explores what worries the future among youth aged 12 to 19 years after 7–9 weeks (April and May) of COVID-19 lockdown in Bergen, Norway. During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, a national suppression strategy with different measures to suppress the spread of infection was implemented (Norwegian Government, 2021). As in most other countries, schools in Norway replaced physical teaching with digital homeschooling. Most of the organized leisure activities for youth closed as part of the measures. Strict rules on social distancing were introduced, including avoiding physical

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