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The University of Bergen and FHI are behind a large survey in which around 3,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 18 in Western Norway responded.
The young people first answered how they were doing in March 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. Then again in December the same year.
The pandemic has greatly affected their mental health.
– The risk of developing symptoms of depression or anxiety doubles in these nine months.
That’s what Stine Lehman says. She is a psychologist specialist and associate professor at UiB, and lead author for the article which is now published in a major international psychological journal.
The young people are not surprised
Anna Hamre Danielsen, Vedar Bahaldin, Sondre Hillestad and Martine Borlaug are all third graders at Langhaugen in Bergen.
They have gone through the majority of high school under strict restrictions.
None of them are surprised that many are struggling.
Now they have low expectations for the Russian era they will soon enter, and are afraid that they will miss a lot that old people normally get to experience.
Fear long-term consequences
It is just over a year since young people were last asked how they were doing. Researcher Stine Lehmann believes the long-term consequences could be great.
– It’s not just to hook the young people to a normal life. This is something we do not quite know the extent of.
She says it is unwise to say how many people actually have a problem that qualifies for a diagnosis, but that there is no doubt that many find the pandemic measures particularly challenging.
The young people at Langhaugen agree.
– You kind of get heavy from just being home, looking at the screen, walking around in nightwear. But the hardest part was when one suddenly had to get up early again, says Martine Borlaug.
MAY HAVE CONSEQUENCES: Martine Borlaug and fellow student Vedar Bahaldin agree that the closure can have long-term consequences, especially for young people.
Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / NRK
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Measures come into play
The researchers see a connection between measures in schools and the mental health of young people.
Several of the young people say they are afraid of falling behind in school work. Others feel they are missing out on much of their youth.
– This can have major long-term consequences. More and more people are experiencing mental health problems. It can be difficult to hook them on that when society becomes normal again, says Lehmann.
– We hope our results will mean something next time different levels of action are considered in the schools.
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