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The study, published Tuesday, found that the number of people with anxiety rose from 13% to 24% among young people aged 27 to 29, and that number was higher than their parents.
Even when lockdown restrictions began to ease in June, researchers found anxiety levels remained high and said they expected it to continue this winter.
Researchers used information from Bristol’s Children of the 90s Health Study in which 14,500 pregnant women were recruited in 1991 and 1992 to collect nearly three decades of data on the health and lifestyle of mothers and their babies, who are now approaching 30 years old.
While many of the participants observed were from the south-west of England, the results were also seen in an additional group of 4,000 Scottish individuals, which the researchers say implies that these effects are not specific to those of the ‘study.
“Highly detailed data from the ’90s children’s questionnaire reveals a worrying increase in anxiety among young people – this appears to be due to the pandemic itself and potentially the social and economic fallout caused by the lockdown measures used to control the spread of the virus. “said Co-Principal Investigator Dr Alex Kwong of the University of Bristol.” Evidence suggests that this will not be a problem in the short term and that mental health support and interventions are urgently needed to reduce some of the mental health inequalities that have emerged.
The study used data from previous years with the results of two Covid-19 questionnaires this year to understand the impact of the pandemic on mental health.
The researchers found that women, those with pre-existing health conditions, those who lived alone during the pandemic, those who were self-isolating and those with recent financial problems were at risk of poorer mental health.
“The results suggest there is a need to protect mental health at this time (especially anxiety management) and support mental health services,” said Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Rebecca Pearson. “It’s especially important to learn the lessons of the first lockdown now that we are in a second lockdown. The findings also provide evidence to support specific groups at greater mental health risk, such as those living alone.
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