According to the research there is “some evidence to suggest that the restrictions in early 2021 may have had a more negative impact than the first set of restrictions”, which included the initial period of lockdown from March to June 2020 and a second lockdown in November 2020.
It emerged that by the summer of 2021 “there was some suggestion of an improvement in children’s mental health and wellbeing relative to earlier in the year”, according to the analysis published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
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In contrast the first lockdown saw some improvement in mental health among young people who had pre-existing poorer mental wellbeing.
The research is based on a review of evidence on the impact of Covid-19 on children’s mental health. This includes official data from the Department for Education, Office for National Statistics and the NHS, as well as evidenced studies.
It also looked at groups of young people more adversely impacted by the pandemic and lockdowns.
Secondary school-aged girls are more likely to have seen a decline in their mental health then boys of the same age.
Meanwhile, primary school-aged boys saw a greater decline in their mental wellbeing during the health crisis than girls.
In addition, “the mental health of primary aged girls fluctuated more than that of boys”, the research found.
Low levels of wellbeing and mental health among children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) before the health crisis “persisted through the pandemic”.
While poverty is associated with lower overall levels of mental wellbeing, researchers found that disadvantaged children were not more negatively impacted during the pandemic compared with their non-disadvantaged peers.
NEW - Complex and mixed picture on impact of #covid19 on young people’s mental health.
— National Foundation for Educational Research (@TheNFER) December 1, 2022
Read the full story at https://t.co/BYnYfVmOEu, view the research key findings at https://t.co/ktdxNTKjBN, or click on https://t.co/h4HFl7tvuE to download the full report. pic.twitter.com/HVdqZozs5w
The research found evidence that “connectedness” related to support from their school community is a “protective factor and can reduce later mental health problems”.
Pupils also felt a “greater connection with school during the pandemic”, according to the research, especially during the first lockdown.
“The association between school connectedness and wellbeing suggests that schools may want to explore what practices were introduced during this unprecedented time with a view to seeing if any aspects transfer to more conventional times,” states the report.
NFER is also calling for better access to support for schools to provide specialist, early mental health support for children.
“Our research illustrates that the pandemic has had a greater impact on some pupils than on others,” said report author and NFER head of assessment research and product development Liz Twist.
“A child’s ability to learn and thrive will be adversely affected by poor mental health and so it is vital that schools have access to specialist support for children and young people. Early intervention is vital to reduce the risk of pupils suffering from significant difficulties later in life.”
Last month the NFER published similar research looking at the impact of the pandemic on pupil attainment, between children from poorer families and their more affluent classmates.
This found that the gap in learning between children from poorer families and their more affluent classmates is wider than it was pre-pandemic “and shows no sign of reducing”.
