One in four young people feeling 'unable to cope' as lockdown takes toll on mental health
One in four young people feels unable to cope with life, a Prince's Trust survey has found, as the charity reveals the mental health impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the under-25s.
The crisis has taken a "devastating toll" on teenagers and young adults, with the unemployed more likely to feel depressed, it says.
Many are losing hope for the future because of a disrupted education, a shrinking jobs market and isolation from their friends and loved ones.
The charity, founded by the Prince of Wales in 1976, said its survey of 2,180 people aged 16 to 25 across the UK indicated that that more young people are feeling anxious than at any point in the last 12 years.
Half those surveyed said their mental health has worsened since the start of the pandemic, while a quarter said they felt "unable to cope with life".
The impact on people not in work, education or training was even worse, as 40 per cent said they felt "unable to cope with life" and 48 per cent "can't see an end" to their unemployment.
Jonathan Townsend, the UK chief executive of The Prince's Trust, which supports 11 to 30-year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school and at risk of exclusion, said: "The pandemic has taken a devastating toll on young people's mental health and wellbeing.
"They face a disrupted education, a shrinking jobs market and isolation from their friends and loved ones and, as a result, too many are losing all hope for the future. As ever, it is unemployed young people, and those with few qualifications and little confidence, who have an even more negative experience.
At this critical time, we need businesses, the Government, and individuals to work with us to help as many vulnerable young people as possible. It is only by working together that we can stop this generation of young people giving up on their futures – and themselves."
The message comes just a week after The Telegraph launched a new campaign, Mental Health Emergency, to highlight the detrimental impact that lockdown is having on people's mental health and wellbeing.
The charity Mind revealed that its webpage, containing information for support during the pandemic, received the highest number of page views in a single day after Boris Johnson announced a third national lockdown than since the first lockdown in April.
Paul Farmer, the charity's chief executive, said: "It's no understatement to say that the nation is facing a 'mental health pandemic'."
Jeremy Hunt, the chairman of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said: "There is a real risk that enforced isolation becomes a tipping point, leading to an epidemic of severe mental illness."
A major Oxford University study, published on Tuesday, also shows that stress and depression among parents increased during the last lockdown, with researchers warning about the strains of home-schooling.
Parents of primary school aged children aged 10 or younger reported particularly high levels of stress during the first period of school closures last spring. Over a third – 36 per cent – said they felt stressed about their children's behaviour.
Mothers and fathers of secondary school children, aged 11 or older, reported more symptoms of depression. Those with older children worried more about the long-term impact of the pandemic, with 43 per cent saying they were stressed about their children's education and future, compared to 32 per cent of those with younger children.
Professor Cathy Creswell, an expert in developmental clinical psychology at Oxford University and the co-lead of the study, said: "These findings build on others that suggest parents were particularly vulnerable to distress during lockdown.
"Our data highlights the particular strains felt by parents during lockdown when many feel that they have been spread too thin by the demands of meeting their children’s needs during the pandemic, along with home-schooling and work commitments."
Over 6,500 parents were asked about their well-being between April and December last year. Their responses were analysed by a team of psychologists at Oxford University investigating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on parents' and children's mental health.
