The Impacts of COVID-19 on Young People's Mental Health_ Tostado John

 The Impacts of COVID-19 on Young People's Mental Health

THE ISSUE

The COVID-19 Pandemic has had destructive consequences on teen and adolescent mental health. Its impact has made interaction between teenagers and adolescents very difficult. Communication between peers in those demographics is vital for their development into adults. The COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted social interaction and has set young people back in terms of years of development. According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2021), well over 50% of teens reported that the pandemic has created adverse situations in their lives. Teens are dealing with heavy amounts of anxiety and depression.

 

STUDENT ATHLETES

Physically participating in school, plays a significant role in teen's and adolescent's social development because of the constant social engagements with adults and peers. Specifically, student-athletes have been greatly impacted by the absence of sports, which brings about competition, camaraderie, and physical activity. According to a survey conducted by the NCAA (2020), a majority of student-athletes reported that they have been experiencing high rates of mental distress since the pandemic began in March of 2020. The chart below highlights several mental health concerns during the pandemic that students were experiencing in its early months:

Mental Health Concerns During COVID-19 Pandemic

Amongst Teen and Adolescents 

	Boys	Girls
Felt overwhelmed by all you had to do	31%	50%
Experienced sleep difficulties	31%	42%
Felt mentally exhausted	26%	39%
Felt very lonely	22%	33%
Felt a sense of loss	21%	31%
Felt sad	17%	31%
Felt overwhelming anxiety	14%	27%
Felt overwhelming anger	11%	11%
Felt things were hopeless	11%	16%
Felt so depressed that it was difficult to function	7%	9%

There are many signs and symptoms that young people display when they are depressed that we should not ignore. If you know someone that you feel is depressed or has lots of anxiety lots for these signs so that you can assist them in getting help.

Symptoms include:

• Change in mood: depressed or irritable
• Decreased interest or pleasure in most activities
• Significant weight change or change in appetite
• Change in sleep: sleeping too much or too little
• Change in activity: feeling sped up or slowed down
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Negative self-perception: feeling worthless or excessive or inappropriate guilt
• Problem thinking clearly: diminished ability to think, concentrate or indecisiveness
• Suicidal: thoughts of death or suicide or acts of self-harm

There are also common behavioral changes we may notice that can indicate depression is at play:

• Using drugs or alcohol
• Problems getting to school
• A drop in grades
• Physical aches and pains
• A change in friends
• Running away
• Reckless behavior
• Lack of attention to appearance or hygiene
• Aggression

 Sign and symptom data were taken from "Learn About Depression."

STUDENT RESOURCES

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly affected adults and the ways we have adapted and coped with the virus. For teens and adolescents, it has been the same. Some adolescents have coped well with the transition and others have not. Most adolescents returning to school have experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety, isolation and grief. It seems to have affected young girls more than boys but not by very much.

Teachers and school personnel are a critical component in the transition back to school. In person education for students has it's challenges and teachers need to adjust just as students do. Educators are learning new skills to help with the transition.  Here are some of the ways educators have made changes to help teens cope.

IMPACT ON LOW INCOME FAMILIES

The disparities for low-income communities or racially and ethnically diverse communities existed before the pandemic, and the pandemic made them worse.

EDUCATORS ROLE

In a survey conducted for educators, 72% reported that the pandemic brought new mental health challenges to students in high school and college. Most of the educators surveyed (85%) stated that it is a high priority. Educators are calling for more help because students are watching this pandemic unfold live and in real time. Educators are seeing the effects of grief, loss, instability and trauma effects in student lives daily. Teachers are doing everything they can to help students and some teachers are creating video that help students understand they are not alone and they are here to help.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

There are free services for community members all over Los Angeles County for families in need that lack resources. IPreVail is a good example, this is where people can ask question about mental health issues and how to attain those resources. IPreVail has brought talk therapy to those in need. They have resources via the internet, telephone and tablet. This program has extensive and comprehensive program all at the touch of your hand. 

Why this issue important to me.

This issue has definitely impacted my community in the worse way. As a father and former high school coach I have had to deal with this issue in the last several years. I have had almost a dozen former players lose there fathers to Covid-19 and all of my sons have had some sort of severe anxiety or depression. There is nothing harder as father and coach see these young men struggle with these issues and have no idea how to help them and there families. Fortunately our family has the resources to educate our selves and get the help that we need. But there are a lot of families that lack those resources. I discovered that best way to deal with these issues is to educate those young men and women about what mental health wellbeing is, and how to get help. That's why at 52 years of age I have decided to change my career path to counseling because I want to help young people achieve there dreams and help them get through one of the toughest time in there lives. 

Covid-19 and its impact on student-athlete depression and anxiety: The return to campus. The Sport Journal. (2021, October 20). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from   https://thesportjournal.org/article/covid-19-and-its-impact-on-student-athlete-depression-and-anxiety-the-return-to-campus/.

Learn about depression. Erika's Lighthouse. (2020, July 10). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.erikaslighthouse.org/the-toolbox/learn-about-depression/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmPSSBhCNARIsAH3cYgY5RB4abFgx_6skr4rohBRgw8iDoaqU75nqsLFtdkl_S7zSLB8bCKwaAsD9EALw_wcB.  

Long, C. (n.d.). Lean on me: How educators persevered through the pandemic. NEA. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/lean-me-how-educators-persevered-through-pandemic.

Teen mental health during COVID-19: Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/teen-mental-health-during-covid-19. 

The impact of covid-19 on the mental health of adolescents and Youth. UNICEF. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/impact-covid-19-mental-health-adolescents-and-youth. 

YouTube. (2020, September 25). Low-income Americans are impacted the most financially amid coronavirus struggles. YouTube. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_NufVP6ZFI.