The COVID-19 Pandemic is placing immense pressure on all of us, and those whose mental health is particularly affected are young people and those who are in vulnerable categories.
We are already seeing that the stress of the pandemic is having a particularly large impact on the mental health of young people (aged 16-24).
Stress and uncertainty around education and employment prospects and reduced social support from peers are added to existing higher levels of depression and anxiety in this age group.
This study aims to improve our understanding of what the full impact is of the pandemic on the mental health and long-term wellbeing of young people.
Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a stressor this study will monitor how symptoms of anxiety and depression change in young people over a period of two years, and examine whether these changes can be used to predict those who will go on to experience longer term issues.
Though repeated online questionnaires, this study will reach over 3500 young people. Additionally data will be analysed from existing research projects: The ‘Repeated Assessment of Mental health in Pandemics’ (RAMP) study and the ‘COVID-19 Psychiatry and Neurological Genetics (COPING) study.
The longitudinal design of these studies allows powerful assessment of changes in symptoms over time as well as the role of modifiable risk factors and long-term mental health outcomes.
Impact areas (how does it improve people’s lives):
– Better treatment – reduced impact of having a condition
– Better understanding – of how stress causes depression/ anxiety, and of potentially modifiable risk factors
This research will directly inform the development of psychological interventions for stress-related mental health in young people, even beyond the specifics of a pandemic to other chronic stressors such as periods of economic hardship or major health issues.
Additionally, this study will create a large dataset on youth stress and mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic that will be made available to other researchers for vital future study.
This project was started by MQ Fellow Dr Katherine Young from Kings College London. Thanks to this investment from MQ, Katherine was able to secure herself a full time position outside of the University and so handed the study over to Dr Colette Hirsch.
Dr Colette Hirsch is a senior lecture in the Psychology department at Kings College London and a Reader in Cognitive Clinical Psychology and Consultant Clinical Psychologist leading the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Service at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma at the South London Maudsley NHS Trust.
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