Nearly four in ten young people aged 12–21 say they have lost social confidence as a result of the pandemic, with many reporting feeling lonely and struggling with mental health issues, a survey commissioned by stem4 to mark Youth Mental Health Day (22nd September) finds.
stem4’s Youth Mental Health Day: Young people, report feeling lonelier than ever, calling for tools opportunities to help them develop their social confidence.
The far-reaching fallout of ‘the pandemic’ has left many (71%) young people struggling to maintain meaningful relationships, leading nearly half of 12–21-year-olds to say that—either ‘all’ or ‘most of the time’—they feel lonely, isolated, and left out.
The scale of young people’s mental health problems, and the lack of support available to them
Of the 2,007 young people surveyed, almost half (46%) say they are currently experiencing mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, and self-harming behaviours. Prevalence is highest among 19–21-year-olds (54%) but also high among 12–15-year-olds (37%) and 16–18-year-olds (48%).
Among those who say they are experiencing problems, 31% say they have not told anyone about it. 27% are receiving help or treatment, but 20% say they are not receiving any help or treatment, despite having spoken to someone and asked for help.
Mental health issues are often a barrier to forming new friendships and connections
When asked what would hold them back from making new friendships and connections, 45% (57% female, 33% male) of young people say it’s ‘feeling anxious’. Exactly half overall (42% males, 59% female) say it’s ‘fear of rejection’. Females are significantly more likely to say a lack of confidence in their physical appearance is holding them back from making new friends (47% compared to 29% male).
stem4’s Youth Mental Health Day 2022
To mark Youth Mental Health Day (Thursday 22 September), which this year takes the theme #ConnectMeaningfully, stem4 is calling for schools and colleges to assemble the resources they need to help young people build healthy meaningful connections. The benefits of positive social connections and good mental health are numerous including increased self-worth and resilience and reduced anxiety and low mood. stem4 is offering schools, colleges, and universities information packs containing ideas for helping young people to build meaningful relationships that improve their mental health. stem4 will also encourage young people to express how they connect meaningfully their future through creativity (for example through art, music or creative writing) and to share them on social media.
Statement from stem4 Founder Dr. Nihara Krause
Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and founder and CEO of stem4 says: ‘The pandemic has had powerful and far-reaching impacts on the way young people build social connections. They have essentially missed out on two years of social experience, and many feel that they are now less confident when it comes to initiating and engaging in meaningful relationships. It is therefore vital that we provide them with tips and opportunities to catch up.’
Want to read more?
Read more about the findings in the full press release.
[Source: stem4 survey of 2,007 regionally representative British young people aged from 12 to 21 conducted by Survey Goo, 15th to 19th July 2022]