Pandemic Effects on Youth Wellbeing

Podcast description

The intense fear and social upheaval that gripped much of the world due to the 2020 COVID pandemic has mostly subsided three years on. How did strict social distancing mandates impact the wellbeing of our youth? And how did children cope when the adults around them were themselves anxious and stressed out about world events? 

Today, our guest is a youth crisis counselor, Coreetha Anthony, MS, who witnessed firsthand the numerous issues that young people faced. One of the most important takeaways from this discussion is that it’s never too late to seek help–even if many years have passed since a traumatic or upsetting event took place.

The mental wellbeing of young people before, during, and after COVID restrictions is a multifaceted issue with long-term impacts. Undoubtedly over time, we’ll get a clearer picture of the extent of those impacts. 

But something we can do right now is to realize the importance of advocating for accessible and affordable mental health resources, to destigmatize mental health challenges, and to create spaces where youth can safely share their experiences and receive the support they need. 

Although we can't go back and change what happened during an unprecedented global pandemic, we can choose to learn from past events if we want to forge a mindful path toward health and healing.  

References:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856720303373

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02201/full

https://www.fcc.gov/988-suicide-and-crisis-lifeline

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437#:~:text=A%202016%20study%20of%20more,levels%20of%20anxiety%20and%20depression.

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