How has COVID-19 Increased the Importance of Mental Health Among Young Adults?

Written by: E-Ling, XiaoYuan & Teng Yue

In December 2019, COVID-19 broke out and eventually spread worldwide, causing the World Health Organisation to declare a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 (Brooks et al., 2023). As one of the biggest global crises ever faced in generations, COVID-19 has severe and widespread impacts across healthcare systems, economic markets, and societies (World Health Organisation, 2022). As people struggled with the impacts of the pandemic, mental well-being became deeply affected as well (World Health Organisation). For young adults who were already going through a time of great change in their lives due to adjustments in relationships, living situations, and schooling (Arnett, 2000), the added changes in their lives due to the pandemic has only further affected them (e.g., anxiety over the future, feelings of loneliness etc.). This article aims to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of young adults.

To curb the spread of the virus, several measures were put in place. These measures included nationwide lockdowns, school closures, social distancing, isolation, and quarantining (Winter and Lavis, 2022). Singapore is not unfamiliar with these measures, with Circuit Breaker being introduced in April 2020 as one of the initiatives to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Goh, 2022). These measures, like home-based learning and work-from-home meant that people were physically isolated from their friends and had to adjust to socializing virtually (Winter and Lavis).

The lack of physical contact with friends and loved ones meant that loneliness had became a rampant issue among youths. In a study done by Winter and Lavis (2022) on tracking online conversations in the UK, most of these conversations have suggested these feelings of solitude have caused them to feel depressed and suicidal. These feelings are often exacerbated by toxic family environments (Winter and Lavis). Many young people have also described facing difficulties in seeking mental support during the lockdown, especially for those that have mental conditions before the pandemic, owing to the lack of access to school and community mental health services during the pandemic (Winter and Lavis). This aggravates the feelings of isolation, resulting in a looping effect, in which the lack of mental health support and unhealthy family environments intensify these feelings of loneliness, leading to depression and suicidal tendencies (Winter and Lavis). 

In Singapore, a study done by the National Youth Council showed that mental well-being remained a challenge for over half of the youth population (52%) surveyed during the second half of 2020 (Ministry of Health Singapore, 2020). The top stressors cited were anxiety over the future, stress over finances, and worries about academic and work performance (Ministry of Health Singapore). A paper done by the Institute of Policy Studies stated that the emotional decline may have been worsened by the stressors faced when starting a new job in the face of new workplace arrangements (Baker, 2022). The pandemic also caused many plans of these youths to take a backseat, such as travel plans after graduation, which are common among graduates (Baker). Moreover, the uncertainty of the future has driven many youths to reevaluate their life priorities (Baker). 

The threat of death being so close led to an awakening in young adults about what matters to them in life (Meah & Ng, 2021). In the US, some young adults had turned their side hustles into full-time businesses or focused on self-actualizing goals that would have not been considered a priority, to begin with (Roose, 2021; Meah & Ng, 2021). This movement was termed the YOLO Economy, with YOLO standing for “You Only Live Once” (Meah & Ng, 2021). Some of these workers who have successfully uprooted themselves from the system found the change restorative (Roose, 2021). However, not many individuals are able to successfully remove themselves from the system (Roose). The uncertainty of the future due to COVID also means that some individuals will tend to opt for a more stable job rather than giving in to their indulgences (Meah & Ng). 

Regardless of the pros and cons of a job change or choosing to stay in a job, self-care is still an important aspect of maintaining positive mental-well for these individuals. In the pre-COVID era, self-care was seen as something indulgent and could only be done if there was money and time to spare (Chia, 2021). However, ever since the pandemic, self-care has become a mainstream and lifestyle choice (Chia). Some simple self-care acts can include getting sufficient sleep, eating nutritiously, and getting regular exercise (Chia). Creating a daily routine also helps you to feel more in control of your life, reducing stress (Chia). Self-care acts also do not have to be individualistic as spending time with friends and families can also be equally fulfilling as well (Chia), such as going for picnics as a family and art jamming with friends. 

All in all, though COVID-19 has negatively impacted the mental well-being of young adults, it still taught us to be more resilient and to cherish the more important things in life. 

References

Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469.

Baker, J. A. (2022, July 14). People in 20s and 40s feel mental health declined due to pandemic, elderly report feeling better: IPS study. Channel NewsAsia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-pandemic-young-middle-aged-elderly-emotional-mental-health-effects-ips-study-2809436 

Brooks, S. K., Hall, C. E., Patel, D., & Greenberg, N. (2022). “In the office nine to five, five days a week… those days are gone”: qualitative exploration of diplomatic personnel’s experiences of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychology, 10(1), 1–272. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00970-x

Chia, V. (2021, July 20). We need to take self-care seriously: Our mental and physical health depend on it. Channel NewsAsia. https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/self-care-mental-health-wellness-advice-271841 

Goh, T. (2022, March 29). New Covid-19 rules kick in: Timeline of S'pore's measures over the last 2 years. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/two-years-of-twists-and-turns-a-timeline-of-singapores-covid-19-measures 

Meah, N., & Jun Sen, N. (2021, November 15). The Big Read: The pandemic has affected the human psyche. What does this mean for Generation COVID’s future? Channel NewsAsia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/big-read-covid-19-young-people-millenials-generation-z-future-2311476 

Roose, K. (2021, April 21). Welcome to the YOLO Economy. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/technology/welcome-to-the-yolo-economy.html 

Winter, R., & Lavis, A. (2021, December 30). The Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Mental Health in the UK: Key Insights from Social Media Using Online Ethnography. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(352), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010352 

World Health Organization. (2022, June 16). The impact of COVID-19 on mental health cannot be made light of. https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-mental-health-cannot-be-made-light-of