Well-Being during the Pandemic–Insights from a Rapid Review on the Mental Health of Disadvantaged Youth and Young Adults

Maja Kuchler (), Saskia Beckmann, Celine Habig, Karen Heid, Anna Lena Rademaker and Eike Quilling
Additional contact information
Maja Kuchler: Department of Applied Health Sciences, HS Gesundheit, University of Applied Sciences, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Saskia Beckmann: Faculty of Social Sciences, FH Bielefeld, University of Applied Sciences, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany
Celine Habig: Department of Applied Health Sciences, HS Gesundheit, University of Applied Sciences, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Karen Heid: Faculty of Social Sciences, FH Bielefeld, University of Applied Sciences, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany
Anna Lena Rademaker: Faculty of Social Sciences, FH Bielefeld, University of Applied Sciences, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany
Eike Quilling: Department of Applied Health Sciences, HS Gesundheit, University of Applied Sciences, 44801 Bochum, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-27

Abstract: The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic had a wide range of impacts on living conditions, opportunities and mental health. As discussed by society and supported by some studies, young people were particularly affected. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of research that explicitly addressed the mental health outcomes of adolescents’ and young adults’ transition. A systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycInfo, PSYNDEX, Embase and LIVIVO was conducted in February 2022. 42 of 2562 screened publications from industrialized/high-income countries were included and analyzed. All included publications show that the mental health of young people worsened during the pandemic. Several studies suggest(ed) that youths with less education and low socioeconomic status were affected most. Regarding different stages of adolescence, study results are heterogeneous. Evidence indicates that schools as institutions are important settings for everyday lives, personal development and education of young people. The review shows that there is a need for research and scientifically validated recommendations for practice. Further consideration should focus on the implementation of sustainable structures on the local level to strengthen resilience, minimize risk factors for young people’s mental health and create opportunities for valuable transitions.

Keywords: psychosocial impact; mental health; adolescents; pandemic; disadvantaged youth; transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/12730/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/12730/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:12730-:d:935086

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().