Study finds COVID-19 pandemic severely impacts mental health of young people

COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted mental health of young people with increased levels of clinical depression being identified.

Apart from clinic depression, a decrease in alcohol consumption was identified amongst young people during pandemic.

Researchers found evidence of a substantial impact on the mental health of these young adults due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a significant rise in depression symptoms and a reduction in overall wellbeing during lockdown compared to the previous autumn.

Levels of clinical depression in those surveyed were found to have more than doubled, rising from 14.9% in autumn 2019 to 34.7% in May/June 2020.

Findings from the study highlighted substantial impact of the pandemic on young people's mental health.

Link to sleep quality could help inform strategies to support their wellbeing as COVID-19 situation continues to evolve