Mental health impacts of COVID-19 ongoing for young Aussies
New research has revealed that young people continue to report feelings of depression, anxiety, fear and concern about their mental health despite the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the majority of students returning to classrooms across the country.*
The nationally representative research conducted by YouthInsight, the research arm of Student Edge, in May 2020 is the third in a series of monthly surveys monitoring young people’s understanding and sentiment towards the COVID-19 situation in Australia.
According to the research the top three issues causing concern for young people are the health of their family (64 percent), their studies (61 percent), and the economy (55 percent). These top issues have remained consistent over the three surveys.
Positively, the number of young people who indicated they felt happy rose from 34 percent in March 2020 to 42 percent in May 2020, which could prove to be a protective factor against the negative mental health impacts of COVID-19.
Simon Miraudo, Head of Membership at Student Edge, said that the results of the survey show that young people are still feeling the impacts of COVID-19 on their mental health.
“It’s heartening to see a drop in negative feelings and an increase in positive feelings since the peak period of isolation. However the majority of young people are still feeling depressed (58 percent), anxious (57 percent), and afraid (53 percent) as a result of the pandemic.
“As restrictions continue to ease, there remain plenty of unknowns on the horizon for young people such as job security, financial and study stress.”
Ashley de Silva, CEO of ReachOut, said that ReachOut has been providing digital mental health support for young people and that levels of distress remain high despite the easing of restrictions.
“In the first five weeks of lockdown, we saw a 50 percent increase in demand for ReachOut’s digital mental health services, year on year. While this initial surge in demand has decreased, there is still a 40 percent increase in people seeking support, year on year. This tells us that young people are in distress and need support right now.
“Through ReachOut’s research with groups of young people and our online peer support forum we are seeing young people’s concerns shifting from fear and anxiety to uncertainty about the future and the impacts on things like employment and education – this is mirrored in the Student Edge research.
“It is important we respond to young people’s changing mental health needs as the impacts of the pandemic continue to play out. ReachOut continues to provide COVID-19 specific support for young people and parents and recently released new content to give young people strategies to help them deal with constant change.
“We encourage young people to take a proactive approach when it comes to their mental health and to seek additional support if they need it. For parents and carers, it’s important to find time for regular check-ins with your young person, particularly if you notice things don’t seem quite right.”
For more information about ReachOut’s COVID-19 mental health support visit ReachOut.com/COVID-19.
For more information about Student Edge visit StudentEdge.org.
*Online survey of a national sample of Australians aged 14–25 years. Surveys completed in March 2020 (520 people), April 2020 (522 people) and May 2020 (565 people).
About ReachOut
ReachOut is the most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents in Australia. Their trusted self-help information, peer-support program and referral tools save lives by helping young people be well and stay well. The information they offer parents makes it easier for them to help their teenagers, too.
ReachOut has been championing wider access to mental health support since they launched their online service more than 20 years ago. Everything they create is based on the latest evidence and is designed with experts, and young people or their parents. That’s why ReachOut is a trusted, relevant service that’s so easy to use.
Accessed by more than 2 million people in Australia each year, ReachOut is a free service that’s available anytime and pretty much anywhere.
About Student Edge
Student Edge was founded in 2003 by students who recognised the challenges faced by young people on a range of issues such as cost of living, student life, access to part-time work and career guidance. Student Edge is now the largest member-based organisation of high school and tertiary students in Australia, with more than 1.1 million members nationwide. Student Edge also has a full-service market research arm called YouthInsight, which arose from a desire to share unique access and understanding of Australia’s Gen Y and Gen Z. Having worked with industry leaders in finance, education, consumer goods, telecommunications, peak bodies and government departments all the way through to tech start-ups and entrepreneurs, we’ve seen first-hand the power that insights can have on transforming and clarifying understanding, product development and take-to-market strategies. For student resources, including study tips and tools to get you job ready, visit studentedge.org. For more on YouthInsight, visit youthinsight.com.au
