Young people and mental health: the impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns in Haringey 2020/21

Healthwatch Haringey wanted to explore the impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns on the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Haringey. They launched two online surveys which ran between October 2020 and March 2021, with 96 responses in total. One survey collected 41 responses from young people and the other collected 55 responses from parents and carers.

60% of respondents stated that COVID-19 and lockdowns had negatively impacted their mental health. These responses were most commonly themed around isolation, increased anxiety and stress, social anxiety, loss of motivation and purpose, and financial concerns.

Some respondents cited positive aspects of lockdowns, mentioning an improvement to their mental health as a result of having time to do things they enjoy, spending more time with family, being away from the pressures of a school environment, and having their own time and space.

35% of young people were stressed about schoolwork and over 40% were anxious about passing their exams, getting the grades they want, getting into colleges and universities of their choice, and finding a good job. 89% of young people would like to see an improvement in mental health care and interventions offered at their school, including better communication and increased awareness of mental health.

Parents and carers considered the most common anxieties and challenges faced by young people as catching or spreading COVID-19, loss of motivation and purpose, worries about the future, and anxiety around schoolwork and exams.

The report includes four recommendations to schools and colleges and two recommendations to mental health services, CAHMS, charities and organisations.