Initial study results show: Crises have a major impact on the mental health of young people

25.07.2023 17:04

The Ukraine war, Corona and climate change have a significant impact on the mental health of young people. This is proven by the first results of the “GUCK-Hin study” of the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy working unit led by Professor Tanja Michael at Saarland University. The study examines, among other things, the psychological effects of crises and other stresses on young people. The researcher recommends measures, especially in collaboration with schools, that support young people in coping with the stress caused by the crises. The Saarland Ministry of Education and Culture supports the study.

More than half, around 54 percent, of the young people surveyed as part of the “Guck Hin study” reported clinically noticeable anxiety symptoms such as worrying about what will happen in the future. 41 percent of them reported noticeable symptoms of depression, such as feeling low, hopeless or melancholy. 37 percent of young people reported a reduced quality of life, which is often expressed by feeling lonely or having less fun with friends. These are some of the results of the first survey as part of the “GUCK-Hin Study” of the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Working Unit at Saarland University, which examines the effects of external crises and individual stressful events on the mental health of young people.

Psychological abnormalities increased significantly

“The current living situation of young people is strongly influenced by an extremely crisis-ridden time. Especially in this developmental phase of growing up, they inherently have to overcome a wealth of challenges and tasks of a physical and social nature. Our study shows that the crises have a significant impact on the mental health of today's generation of young people," explains Professor Tanja Michael, who leads the study. The numerous cuts and restrictions caused by the corona pandemic in the form of school closings or contact restrictions, as well as climate change and the war in Ukraine, are placing a heavy burden on the lives and experiences of young people, as can be seen from the initial results of the study. “As a result, psychological problems increased significantly. There was a relevant increase in anxiety and depression symptoms and a decrease in quality of life,” reports the psychologist.

Self-efficacy beliefs as an effective protective factor

It is now important to take measures to promote mental health that will help young people to cope with the stress caused by the crises. “An effective protective factor that can mitigate the negative effects of crisis stress on mental health and quality of life are so-called self-efficacy beliefs: This refers to the confidence that you can solve problems, difficult situations and strenuous tasks on your own,” explains Tanja Michael.

As the results of the first survey as part of the study showed, 75 percent of young people with low self-efficacy beliefs reported a reduced quality of life and 82 percent had clinically noticeable anxiety symptoms and 73 percent had clinically noticeable depression symptoms. In contrast, of the young people with high self-efficacy beliefs, only 17 percent reported a reduced quality of life, only 30 percent of them reported clinically noticeable anxiety symptoms and 23 percent reported clinically noticeable depression symptoms.

Integrate schools more closely into health care as a place to prevent mental illness

“The results of our first survey show that innovative concepts are needed to strengthen the resilience of young people so that they can cope with the additional stress caused by the crises,” says Tanja Michael. She sees collaboration with schools as particularly promising. “They are the place where a large part of the life and social development of young people in Germany takes place. It would therefore be positive to involve schools more closely in health care as a place to prevent mental illnesses,” emphasizes the psychologist.

Corona pandemic as the strongest stress factor

Of the crises, the young people surveyed perceived the corona pandemic as the greatest stress factor. “Here, 28 percent of the young people surveyed stated that they were extremely stressed and 31 percent were very stressed. This was followed by the Ukraine war and climate change. “Regarding the war in Ukraine, 5 percent said they were extremely stressed and 22 percent were very stressed; climate change was extremely stressful for 2 percent and 15 percent of young people were very stressed,” says Tanja Michael, describing the results.

“As part of a so-called multi-level analysis, we were able to show that pandemic and climate-related stress is linked to greater feelings of depression and anxiety as well as lower health-related quality of life. War-related stress, on the other hand, is associated with greater anxiety. These connections remained even after controlling for all other influences such as individual life stressors or self-efficacy,” explains the psychologist.

The GUCK-Hin study (short for Generation Ukraine-War Covid-19 Climate Change) is one of the very few studies that examine the mental health of young people in Germany - as urgently requested by the Robert Koch Institute - even beyond the end of the pandemic observed. The study is unique in that it records the stress caused by other current crises as well as individual stressful events such as conflicts within families or among friends, psychological symptoms and potential protective factors.

Longitudinal study with three data points

The study also examines demographic data, potential protective factors such as young people's self-efficacy beliefs, socioeconomic status and interest in and trust in politics. “It is a longitudinal study with three survey times: 2022, 2023 and 2024. The first survey took place from June to October 2022 at 58 secondary schools in Saarland in grades seven to nine. A total of 4,001 students between the ages of ten and 18 took part. 57 secondary schools have again confirmed their participation in the 2023 survey,” explains Tanja Michael.

The researchers have submitted their analysis results to a specialist journal. They publish them on a so-called preprint server before the final review, which usually takes several weeks. “We want to make the results available to our specialist colleagues,” explains Tanja Michael.

The preprint of the results can be found at the following link: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3131485/v1