The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Adult Mental Health

Abstract

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, research on the mental health effects of infectious disease outbreaks was notably scarce. Addressing this gap, this thesis uses three complementary studies to explore how young adults responded and adapted to the pandemic’s challenges, with a particular focus on resilience. The first study, a quantitative analysis, draws on longitudinal data from the Neuroscience in Psychiatry Network (NSPN; n = 2,403; aged 14-24 at baseline), to analyse mental health impacts during the initial outbreak. Data were collected during the first NSPN COVID-19 follow-up in May 2020 (n = 1,000, aged 19-34). The study examines repeated pre-pandemic measures of psychological distress and mental wellbeing to predict mental health outcomes during the pandemic, comparing these predictions to observed outcomes. Findings showed pronounced deviations from existing mental health trajectories, with approximately 9% of young adults reporting distress levels likely associated with serious functional impairments, an increase of 3% from pre-pandemic levels. Notably, these deviations were not restricted to conventional risk factors, although individuals with pre-existing health conditions were disproportionately affected. Resilience factors typically associated with mental health stability offered limited protection against these effects. The second study, a qualitative investigation, involved in-depth interviews with 30 purposively selected NSPN participants in October 2022 to examine the pandemic’s long-term effects on mental health and wellbeing. Participants were on average 28 years old (SD = 3 years; range 24-34 years; 53.3% female), with 40% from non-White ethnic groups. Many young adults reported profound personal growth and stronger sense of resilience, irrespective of their mental health status. However, they also reported substantial disruptions including returning to their parents’ homes, deferring life plans, lacking mental health support, and encountering significant career challenges. Complementing these studies, a systematic review synthesises evidence from 23 studies and 11 countries examining pre-pandemic resilience factors and mental health outcomes across the COVID-19 pandemic. The review confirmed that whilst resilience factors were generally associated with better mental health outcomes, they showed limited effectiveness in mitigating pandemic-related effects. Family-level resilience factors emerged as promising under specific conditions. Study quality was generally fair, however, limited by significant concerns regarding resilience assessment and sampling quality. Together, these studies demonstrate the importance of incorporating mental health considerations into pandemic preparedness strategies whilst highlighting methodological challenges in studying mental health and resilience during an ongoing public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.