Lund University Publications

Children and Young People’s Mental Health in a “Post-pandemic” Age

• Mark

Abstract

Whilst the most obvious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s was the physical illness and its consequences, the systemic impact was also wide-ranging. In countries where there were sustained periods of ‘lockdown’ or ‘sheltering in place’, public concern was expressed about the educational, emotional, and social impact for children and young people, in both the short and long term. At the same time, the pandemic produced significant additional changes to the economy, the environment, and society, the implications of which are still working through. It seems likely that these longer-term social changes will have implications for children and youth, their wellbeing, their relationships, their mental health, and their activism.... (More)

Whilst the most obvious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s was the physical illness and its consequences, the systemic impact was also wide-ranging. In countries where there were sustained periods of ‘lockdown’ or ‘sheltering in place’, public concern was expressed about the educational, emotional, and social impact for children and young people, in both the short and long term. At the same time, the pandemic produced significant additional changes to the economy, the environment, and society, the implications of which are still working through. It seems likely that these longer-term social changes will have implications for children and youth, their wellbeing, their relationships, their mental health, and their activism. In this Research Topic, we want to explore the children and young people’s responses to the pandemic, its impact on mental health and wellbeing, and their hopes and concerns about a post-pandemic future.

In this Research Topic, we want to explore the impact of cultural, economic, and environmental changes ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic, and their implications for children and young people’s mental health, wellbeing, and space for action. In the light of the recent UN and WHO recognition of a need for the transformation of the mental health service landscape to better recognize and respond to the expressed needs of people who use those services, there may be a unique opportunity to redevelop mental health services for children and young people in a way that can empower them, rather than risk revictimization and further disempowerment. We want to move beyond a focus on pandemic risk, to explore the social and political transformations and challenges produced by the pandemic, and their implications for service delivery, family life, and children and young people’s outcomes. This may include the intensification of existing health / mental health inequalities at local and global levels, opportunities for service innovations, barriers to mental health services, implications for youth activism, etc. (Less)