The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to young people’s lives in many ways and been associated with changes in their mental health symptoms, such as increases in symptoms of behavioural and attentional difficulties at times of peak restrictions.
Researchers from the University of Oxford (UK) and the National Center for Child Health and Development (Japan) worked with young people from the UK and Japan to co-design an infographic with recommendations for supporting young people’s mental health in public health emergency situations and beyond, based on experiences and research findings from the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this project, 28 young people (12-21-years-old) from the UK and Japan took part in the project as co-researchers. The co-researchers were at the heart of the project at every stage. They played a leading role in co-designing the research, interviewing other young people and adults, analysing the findings, and developing the recommendations for policy makers, which were then presented in the infographic.
Young people from the UK and Japan developed five key overarching recommendations:
- Give agency and control to young people
- Provide reliable information to minimise confusion and uncertainty
- Provide places and opportunities to connect
- Allow for personalised and flexible approaches to schooling and education
- Identify and address inequalities in support needs
Mayuko, 17, one of the Japanese co-researchers, said:
"Sharing our experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic with each other and hearing others’ stories made me realize that others faced different challenges mentally and physically during the pandemic. I believe that youth mental health is, at its core, a youth issue, and I believe it’s critical to listen to and incorporate youth voices into solutions—whether at the local, school, or policy level. This project has given us a unique platform to advocate for change and amplify our voices in policymaking. I’m deeply grateful to the organizers, adults, and institutions behind this program for creating such an impactful opportunity."
Elodie, 14, one of the UK co-researchers, said:
The impacts that the pandemic had on all of us were apparent and the shift in lifestyles were also indicated across both countries. Both countries recognised the lack of control and contribution young people had in decision making as well as how young people felt silenced during the pandemic; our voices were not listened to enough. The feeling of isolation across both countries during lockdown was also apparent and the need for more socialisation was highlighted. We both agreed that there was limited support for those who were vulnerable during the pandemic. Both countries had the shared thought that there was a need for truthful and impartial information, especially regarding mental health. We both underlined the impact of education on the mental health of pupils and the fact that every child learns differently and therefore education is required to be customised to meet their needs.”
To equip them for this role, the co-researchers took part in practical research skills training and were supported by Leaders Unlocked social enterprise in the UK and Free the Children and Everybeing NPOs in Japan. The co-researchers from the UK and Japan developed the resulting recommendations together by drawing upon research evidence and their own and others’ (via focus groups and interviews) experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Simona Skripkauskaite, Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and UK lead of the study, said:
These recommendations represent common needs identified by young people in both the UK and Japan that extend beyond borders. Our co-researchers worked tirelessly to reflect on their own experiences and capture the experiences and perspectives of other young people, parents and carers, policy makers, and school staff. The recommendations come directly from this work and will enable us to better support young people’s mental health in any country in future public health emergency situations. It is really striking how the young people are not asking for much for themselves; they want to be respected and have opportunities to create social connections. Beyond that, they want to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are appropriately supported in schools and by mental health services.”
Kanako Asato, Director of Growth Environment Division, Children and Families Agency in Japan, said: “This project has been invaluable in bringing the authentic voices of children in Japan and the UK to the Children and Families Agency. It reaffirmed the importance of policies that listen to children, which our agency has been promoting, and underscored how creating safe spaces for children can serve as significant support. It also highlighted the necessity of ensuring that various support measures are communicated effectively and reach children in meaningful ways. The Children and Families Agency aims to create a society where all children can raise their voices and where those voices are recognised as essential for improving society. I believe this initiative is highly meaningful and impactful toward achieving that goal.”
The accompanying report provides explanations for why the proposed solutions are necessary to support young people’s mental health in public health emergency situations and youth-driven examples of how the solutions could be delivered in different contexts to ensure that they are successful.
Rose Dowling, Chief Executive of Leaders Unlocked, said: “This innovative project provided a unique opportunity for young people from the UK and Japan to exchange experiences of the pandemic and collaborate to develop solutions. It was clear that participants from both countries felt that young people had been let down during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was striking that their ideas for change had so much in common. The recommendations that have been developed by the young people are powerful and important, and we hope that policy makers will take them into account when planning for future emergencies.”
Dr Arisa Yamaguchi from National Center for Child Health and Development, who oversaw the co-researcher work in Japan, said: “All children are not merely passive recipients of protection during crises but active holders of rights with the power to raise their voices. Through the survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned from children themselves the importance of listening not to what adults want to hear but to the voices children truly wish to convey. I sincerely hope that the message created by children and young people in Japan and the UK, as they reflected together on mental health and well-being in times of crisis, reaches not only governments but society as a whole and spreads in diverse ways into children’s daily lives.”
This research was funded by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), CBGM Child Foundation, and Deloitte Tohmatsu Well-being Foundation, the Westminster Foundation, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. These views are also not necessarily those of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.