The TeenPath COVID project explored important protective social interactions and relationships for young people’s health and resilience throughout the pandemic, and traced young peoples’ daily navigation of growing up in times of great epidemiological, economic and social uncertainty. This was achieved through a combination of interviews, surveys, and ethnographic observations with young people and services providing support to them. A stakeholder mapping exercise and analysis was conducted from the outset of the study to establish key concerns and priorities among young people and service providers in Ireland in order to align Teenpath’s research design with the key issues affecting young people since the pandemic, and refine the study’s research questions and data collection methods.
Interviews were then conducted with young people aged 16-25 to explore their experiences of the pandemic narratively and ways participants have responded to these impacts. This revealed how their routines and emotional wellbeing adapted during the crisis, identifying protective coping strategies developed by young people (such as developing new hobbies and interests, maintaining or establishing new social connections and communities online, and devising attainable goals and routines to re-establish daily structure) while exploring ways of supporting young people navigating a rapidly changing landscape of adolescence and early adulthood in a time of global crisis.
We used these results to develop an online survey launched nationally which covered the impacts of the pandemic on education and work, access to healthcare, mental health and other health behaviours, as well as young people’s feelings about the future.
Finally, we collaborated with an arts-based youth-led programme in Dublin that explored issues impacting young people today. This involved conducting ethnographic observation and interviews with one cohort of young people and staff participating the programme over one year, providing in-depth insights into issues around mental health such as depression, social isolation, and addiction which have increased since the pandemic.
Our study found that the pandemic impacted young people’s mental health in a number of ways, with key drivers being disruptions to education, uncertainty around the future, isolation and fracturing of social networks.
• Many young people developed strategies to cope and remained optimistic about the future, but reported difficulties in seeking and accessing emotional support when they needed it.
• Accessing and maintaining social support networks, and developing self-directed routines and structure in their lives were important throughout lockdowns. However the extent to which these were possible was shaped significantly by individuals' personal circumstances at the time, with vulnerable and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups requiring more targeted support.
• Engagement in youth-led services and arts-based programmes can equip young people with the skills and confidence to explore and express complex issues important to them and their mental health.
• The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on young people’s mental health is becoming increasingly apparent and will have long-term consequences that require research and investment in integrated mental health and youth services.
