The impact of COVID-19 on young people's mental health, wellbeing and routine from a European perspective: A co-produced qualitative systematic review.

Journal: PloS one

Volume: 19

Issue: 3

Year of Publication: 2024

Affiliated Institutions:  NIHR Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. Manchester Institute of Education, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Environmental Health Institute, Medicine Faculty, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. Newcastle Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Abstract summary 

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young people's (YP) mental health has been mixed. Systematic reviews to date have focused predominantly on quantitative studies and lacked involvement from YP with lived experience of mental health difficulties. Therefore, our primary aim was to conduct a qualitative systematic review to examine the perceived impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on YP's (aged 10-24) mental health and wellbeing across Europe.We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science, MEDRXIV, OSF preprints, Google, and voluntary sector websites for studies published from 1st January 2020 to 15th November 2022. European studies were included if they reported qualitative data that could be extracted on YP's (aged 10-24) own perspectives of their experiences of Covid-19 and related disruptions to their mental health and wellbeing. Screening, data extraction and appraisal was conducted independently in duplicate by researchers and YP with lived experience of mental health difficulties (co-researchers). Confidence was assessed using the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual) approach. We co-produced an adapted narrative thematic synthesis with co-researchers. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021251578. We found 82 publications and included 77 unique studies in our narrative synthesis. Most studies were from the UK (n = 50; 65%); and generated data during the first Covid-19 wave (March-May 2020; n = 33; 43%). Across the 79,491 participants, views, and experiences of YP minoritised by ethnicity and sexual orientation, and from marginalised or vulnerable YP were limited. Five synthesised themes were identified: negative impact of pandemic information and restrictions on wellbeing; education and learning on wellbeing; social connection to prevent loneliness and disconnection; emotional, lifestyle and behavioural changes; and mental health support. YP's mental health and wellbeing across Europe were reported to have fluctuated during the pandemic. Challenges were similar but coping strategies to manage the impact of these challenges on mental health varied across person, study, and country. Short-term impacts were related to the consequences of changing restrictions on social connection, day-to-day lifestyle, and education set-up. However, YP identified potential issues in these areas going forward, and therefore stressed the importance of ongoing long-term support in education, learning and mental health post-Covid-19.Our findings map onto the complex picture seen from quantitative systematic reviews regarding the impact of Covid-19 on YP's mental health. The comparatively little qualitative data found in our review means there is an urgent need for more high-quality qualitative research outside of the UK and/or about the experiences of minoritised groups to ensure all voices are heard and everyone is getting the support they need following the pandemic. YP's voices need to be prioritised in decision-making processes on education, self-care strategies, and mental health and wellbeing, to drive impactful, meaningful policy changes in anticipation of a future systemic crisis.

Authors & Co-authors:  Dewa Roberts Choong Crandell Demkowicz Ashworth Branquinho Scott

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Pierce M, Hope H, Ford T, Hatch S, Hotopf M, John A, et al.. Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7:883–92. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30308-4
Authors :  8
Identifiers
Doi : e0299547
SSN : 1932-6203
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Humans
Other Terms
Study Design
Study Approach
Quantitative,Qualitative
Country of Study
Publication Country
United States