Anxiety Levels of Young People Doubled During the First COVID-19 Lockdown

Young people reported experiencing higher anxiety levels during the pandemic's initial stages in the first national lockdown.

Anxiety in young people almost doubled, with the number of people suffering from anxiety increasing from 13 percent to 24 percent during the first COVID-19 lockdown, according to a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal British Journal of Psychiatry.

Utilizing Bristol's Children of the 90s questionnaire data, the study revealed that young people (27-29 years) reported higher anxiety levels during the initial stages of the pandemic in the first national lockdown than their parents.

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‘Young people reported experiencing higher levels of anxiety during the pandemic's initial stages in the first national lockdown.’

Researchers also observed that anxiety levels continued to remain high even when lockdown restrictions were relaxed in June, and thus a comparable situation may be anticipated this winter. The findings suggest that this could be more critical for individuals with a history of mental health problems, women, and people who experienced pre-pandemic financial issues. Public Health England has highlighted these findings to help control policy and the government's perception of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.

There was no proof that depression was higher overall; however, specific groups of individuals were more likely to feel more significant levels of depression and anxiety during the pandemic.

Bristol's Children of the 90s health study selected 14,500 pregnant mothers in 1991-2. They collected almost three decades of comprehensive health and lifestyle data about the mothers and their babies, who will soon be turning 30. During this study, researchers compared participants' previous years' of data with findings from two 2020 COVID-19 questionnaires to understand the pandemic's impact on mental health.

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Some groups within the study were at greater risk of heightened anxiety and/or depression during COVID-19, even after considering their previous history of depression and anxiety. These were women, people with pre-existing mental and physical health conditions, those living alone through the pandemic, those self-isolating due to COVID-19, and those who had endured recent financial difficulties.

However, some factors, such as living alone, were only linked to more significant depression, and others, such as being a parent, only connected to anxiety. Researchers did not find proof of an elevated risk of anxiety in key workers or healthcare workers. These findings were noted in both the younger and older generations and replicated in an additional group of over 4000 Scottish individuals - indicating that these effects may not just be specific to individuals in the South-West.

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Researchers are now studying why some groups of people may have weaker mental health during the pandemic and the role of distress and health behaviors such as sleep and exercise levels. Another questionnaire is planned for examining the impact of England's second lockdown, which is scheduled for December. Along with the data from Children of the 90s, the researchers also analyzed data from Generation Scotland study.

Dr. Alex Kwong, Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol, stated, "The highly detailed Children of the 90s questionnaire data reveals a disturbing increase in young people's anxiety - this looks like it is because of the pandemic itself and possibly the societal and economic fallout due to the lockdown measures used to control the spread of the virus. Data suggests that this is not going to be a short-term problem and that mental health support and interventions are crucially needed to lessen some of the mental health inequalities that have emerged."

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The Children of the 90s' first 2 COVID-19 questionnaires revealed details about participants COVID-19 symptoms, work, finances, lifestyle and diet - helping to learn more about their own, their parents', and their children's physical and mental health.

As might be anticipated in a study heavily based in the southwest of England, only a small percentage tested positive for COVID-19. Still, a large number of participants have experienced at least one of the primary COVID-19 symptoms - loss of smell/taste (13 percent), persistent cough (21 percent), and fever(23 percent).

A successive antibody testing study by Children of the 90s found that 4.3 percentage of those who participated tested positive for antibodies, implying they previously had COVID-19.

Professor Nic Timpson, the principal investigator of Children of the 90s, said, "Longitudinal health studies like Children of the 90s are so vital as they repeatedly measure an individual's mental health (as well as lifestyle and general health) over various time points throughout their life. This study enabled us to compare pre-and post-pandemic data to understand the impact of COVID-19 on mental health fully. Such comprehensive contextualized health data is unique, providing important proof for policymakers and Public Health experts of England."

The Co-lead researcher Dr. Rebecca Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Psychiatric Epidemiology and the University of Bristol, stated, "The findings recommend that there is a necessity to protect mental health at this time (especially managing anxiety) and boost mental health services. It is supremely important to learn lessons from the first lockdown now that we are going in to the second lockdown.

The Principle Investigator for Generation Scotland Professor David Porteous, stated, "This study shows beyond doubt how COVID-19 is impacting mental health, particularly in younger people. The strength of the study is three-fold.

Firstly, Both Generation Scotland and Children of the 90s had mental health measures from before and repeated measures during the pandemic. Secondly each cohort's discovery echo the other. Thirdly, the findings are not a quirk of locality - young adults in both Scotland and around Bristol were similarly affected.

The study shows that the indirect effects of COVID-19 are profound and widespread and felt most acutely by young adults. They as much as any group will carry the long-term brunt of the COVID experience and post-pandemic recovery."

Source-Medindia