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Researchers at Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry conducted a study comparing the mental health of thousands of UK secondary school students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and three lockdowns with a group assessed before the pandemic. Published in JAMA Network Open, the findings reveal that students during the pandemic faced increased depression, social and emotional difficulties, and worsened mental well-being compared to their pre-pandemic counterparts.
Depression cases rose by 8.5% in the pandemic group versus 0.3% in the pre-pandemic group, while social and emotional difficulties increased by 7.9% and possible/probable mental health difficulties by 12.8% in the pandemic group. Girls and those initially at low risk experienced more significant deteriorations. Protective factors included a positive school climate, supportive home relationships, and having a friend for support during lockdown. Even partial school attendance during lockdown proved beneficial for students’ subsequent adjustment.
Researchers led by Professor Willem Kuyken at Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry compared the mental health difficulties and well-being of thousands of UK secondary school pupils who experienced three lockdowns, with a group of students who participated in the same study before the coronavirus pandemic emerged in 2020.
The findings, part of the MYRIAD (My Resilience in Adolescence) study and published in the journal JAMA Network Open, show:
• Young people who went through the pandemic were more likely to experience increased depression, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and worsening general mental well-being.
• While mental health declined in both groups over time, those in the pandemic experienced a worsening in their mental health:
– Cases of depression increased 8.5% in those going through the pandemic versus 0.3% in the pre-pandemic group.
– Cases of high/very high social, emotional and behavioural difficulties increased 7.9% in the pandemic cohort vs 3.5% in the pre-pandemic cohort.
– Cases of possible/probable mental health difficulties increased 12.8% in the pandemic group versus 4.5% in the pre-pandemic group.
• Girls and those who were initially at low risk of mental health difficulties experienced greater deteriorations during the pandemic.
• Having a positive school climate, good relationships at home and having a friend to turn to for support during lockdown were protective factors.
• Even partial school attendance during lockdown was better for the subsequent adjustment when coming back to school than no attendance at all.
Professor Kuyken, Sir John Ritblat Family Foundation Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science in Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, said: ‘This research not only demonstrates the impact the pandemic had on young people’s mental health but importantly also some of the protective factors that helped them get through it.
‘With the increased focus on young people’s mental health, it is vitally important that we work to understand both what places young people at risk and what protects them under challenging circumstances.
‘This study shows that to promote better mental health and adjustment among young people, we need policies that foster home connectedness, friendship and a positive school climate and consider young people’s individual differences, needs and vulnerabilities. Also we can see that full school closures should be avoided to protect the adjustment of young people.’
The pupils in the study were recruited when aged between 11 and 13 with their mental health and mental well-being assessed at four different time points over three years. More than 6,300 pupils were in the group that participated in the research during the pandemic, with the final follow-up taking place in spring 2021. Meanwhile, 864 students were in the group that were assessed before the pandemic, with final data collection from that group in autumn 2019.
The MYRIAD project is funded by Wellcome and is a partnership between the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Exeter, King’s College London and University College London.
“The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s second-oldest university in continuous operation.”
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