Mental Health decline in young people accelerated by pandemic, claims new report

The COSMO study (COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities), undertaken by University College London, has released its latest figures around the mental health of young people. In the study 13,000 young people, who were in year 11 in the academic year 2020-21, have been surveyed on a variety of topics including learning during lockdown and their future plans. The latest data from wave 2 of the study found that almost half (44%) of the young people surveyed were above the threshold for ‘probable mental ill health’, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). This has increased dramatically from previous studies where the figures were 35% in 2017 and 23% in 2007, pointing to a decline in the mental health and wellbeing of young people, likely accelerated by the pandemic.

Looking further into the detail the findings are increasingly disturbing. Over half of the teenage girls reported as having ‘elevated psychological distress’ with over a quarter reporting they had self-harmed in the last year and a staggering 11% saying they had attempted suicide. For boys, a third reported ‘elevated psychological distress’ with 11% reporting self-harm and 5% reporting a suicide attempt. For those who identify as non-binary or ‘another way’ the figures are even more heart-rending with a shocking 69% reporting ‘elevated psychological distress’, 61% reporting self-harm and over a third reporting a suicide attempt.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said the research “starkly reveals troubling differences between levels of male mental health and female mental health, with girls more than twice as likely as males to attempt suicide”. For schools this presents a huge number of young people who are dealing with huge issues and with a potential lack of support. The research team is calling for ring-fenced funding to ensure each school has mental health support, and sustainable and well-funded mental health support for young people, including preventative and early intervention services. They are also calling for targeted support for non-binary and transgender students.