In fact, one-third of young people felt 'happy' during the COVID-19 lockdown
A study from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford has found that one in three young people reported improvements in
One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown | University of Cambridge
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/one-in-three-young-people-say-they-felt-happier-during-lockdown
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to strict lockdown measures being implemented around the world, forcing many people to spend time at home. Not only have businesses and commercial facilities been closed, but schools where children attend have also been closed, and in Japan, cases of school closures due to the spread of the Omicron strain are still ongoing .
While some researchers have reported that COVID-19 lockdown measures have had a negative impact on young people's mental health and well-being, other studies suggest that young people may have benefited from the lockdown.
Emma Sonesson, a PhD student in psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, explained what prompted her to investigate the impact of lockdown on mental health: 'During the first lockdown in 2020, a significant number of children and young people reported that their well-being had improved.' 'I heard from my patients in clinical practice, and informally from several parents and young people, that the lockdown period had been beneficial for their own and their children's mental health, so I decided to look into this in more detail.'
Sonesson analyzed the 2020 edition of
As a result of their analysis, Sonnesson and his team found that one in three students reported that their mental health had improved during the lockdown period. A similar number reported that their mental health had either remained unchanged or worsened. The highest percentage of students reporting improvements in their mental health were those who attended school every day (39%) and those who attended school almost every day (35%). The highest percentage of students reporting a worsening of their well-being were those who attended school only once or twice a day (39%).
Students who felt they had good well -being during the lockdown period were also more likely than other students to report positive things about school, home, relationships, and lifestyle during lockdown. For example, students who reported improved well-being compared to their peers reported less bullying, improved relationships with friends and family, less loneliness, better academic management, more sleep, and more exercise compared to before lockdown.
Professor Peter Jones, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, said: 'Our findings suggest that whether children's mental health and wellbeing has been affected by lockdown depends on a complex mix of factors, ranging from their pre-pandemic mental health to their relationships with family and peers and their attitudes towards school.'
Previous studies on the effects of lockdowns have revealed that young people worry that lockdowns will negatively impact their friendships. However, a new study by Sonnesson et al. found that approximately half of those who reported improved mental well-being also reported feeling less lonely and having better relationships with friends and family. The research team points out that one reason lockdowns had less of a negative impact on mental health than expected is that 'digital social interactions may have mitigated the negative effects of reduced face-to-face contact,' and that the widespread use of video calling apps like Zoom played a major role. Another possible explanation is that school closures allowed children to spend more time with their parents and siblings, which may have contributed to improved family relationships.
One specific aspect of friendships that has changed during the pandemic is bullying. Researchers found that most young people who had experienced bullying in the past year reported that bullying decreased after the lockdown. Furthermore, the percentage of people who said their well-being had improved since the lockdown (92%) was higher than those who said it had remained unchanged (83%) or worsened (81%).
Additionally, around half of young people who said their mental health had improved reported getting more sleep and exercising during lockdown. For example, 49% of those who said their mental health had improved also said they were sleeping longer. Meanwhile, only 30% of young people who said their mental health hadn't changed during lockdown, or only 19% of those who said it had worsened, said they had gotten more sleep and exercise.
Family relationships have also clearly improved, with 53% of students saying they are closer to their family than before the lockdown, far higher than the 26% who said they are no different or that they have gotten worse (21%). Regarding relationships with friends, 41% said they have improved, 26% said they are no different, and 27% said they have gotten worse.
Professor Mina Fazel, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, who was involved in the study, said: 'There is no doubt that the pandemic has had a negative impact on many people, but it is important to remember that not all children and young people have been affected.'
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