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One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

cam.ac.uk

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Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#21

Post by jmyeet »

The paramters:

> Ms Soneson and colleagues explored this issue using the OxWell Student Survey, a large, school-based survey of students aged eight to 18 years living in England. More than 17,000 students took part in the June/July 2020 survey,

A lot of people have spoken about the negative effects on children of lockdowns, social isolation and so forth. I'm glad to see a study pointing to the positives. Why? Because for a lot of people high school (in particular) is absolutely horrible normally.

In the US in particular we have a culture where bullying is tolerated ("boys will be boys", "toughen up") and the victims of bullying are treated like potential mass shooters.

It's actually like there is a systemic acceptance that some children will be chewed up and spit out for the social benefit of others. If that's not a microcosm of US culture I don't know what is.

Another finding comes to mine: girls tend to do better in same-sex schools. Boys tend to do better in mixed-sex schools. Again this seems like tacit acceptance that many of us are OK with girls being "expendable" for male student outcomes.

One upside of the pandemic is that it's challenged a lot of norms, such as having to be in the office. Likewise, the worker shortage we have now is probably the best thing for worker rights in the last 50 years.

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#22

Post by zaroth »

andjd wrote: post #11
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #3

> In fact, an almost identical number of students fell into each of the three categories: their mental wellbeing had improved; there had been no change; or they had experienced a deterioration to their wellbeing. This feels like a red flag on the conclusions. How does this compare to a normal time period? I wouldn’t be surprised if the random ups and downs of growing up normally resulted in a distribution where 1/3 o…

My take is that this is a counterpoint to the dominant media narrative that covid and lockdowns have been detrimental to the mental heath of nearly every child, usually based on anecdata. So even if these results _aren't_ different from a normal year, that's still meaningful. I think this is the crux of their conclusions too: > While the pandemic has undoubtedly had negative consequences for many, it is important to…

It's not all "anecdata"...

> In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ED visits for suspected suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents aged 12–17 years, especially girls. During February 21–March 20, 2021, suspected suicide attempt ED visits were 50.6% higher among girls aged 12–17 years than during the same period in 2019.

[1] - https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7024e1.htm

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#23

Post by Scharkenberg »

gpderetta wrote: post #13
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #3

> In fact, an almost identical number of students fell into each of the three categories: their mental wellbeing had improved; there had been no change; or they had experienced a deterioration to their wellbeing. This feels like a red flag on the conclusions. How does this compare to a normal time period? I wouldn’t be surprised if the random ups and downs of growing up normally resulted in a distribution where 1/3 o…

Breaking news: half of people happier than average!

Well, it would be news if the median didn't coincide with the average.

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#24

Post by coldtea »

chrisseaton wrote: post #14
coldtea wrote: post #2

Of course. As students (born in the internet+smartphone era) they were primed all their life to feel freer in asocial cocooning

> As students (born in the internet+smartphone era) they were primed all their life to feel freer in asocial cocooning Don't know what kind of students you're thinking about - I can't imagine anyone more intensely social than a group of freshers?

That's maybe because you don't have experience with past groups of freshers to compare modern ones to...

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#25

Post by jimmyjazz14 »

If there is one thing I have learned its that my own self reporting on my happiness is extremely variable and unreliable. Someone could have asked me at many periods during the last few years if I was happy and I might have reported I was but I know for a fact that deep down my mental health was taking a tole even if I didn't notice it at the time. So yeah, self reported mental health status should probably be looked at with a skeptical eye.

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#26

Post by coldtea »

gjulianm wrote: post #8
coldtea wrote: post #2

Of course. As students (born in the internet+smartphone era) they were primed all their life to feel freer in asocial cocooning

I don't agree with the implication that using Internet and smartphones make people asocial. If anything, I bet those techs helped people feel less isolated than they'd have felt without them.

>those techs helped people feel less isolated

You said it. Including before covid.

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#27

Post by coldtea »

amcoastal wrote: post #10
coldtea wrote: post #2

Of course. As students (born in the internet+smartphone era) they were primed all their life to feel freer in asocial cocooning

Leave it to an old person to yell about technology ruining people while denying the simple science that some people might feel differently about socialization than others.

And leave it to a young person to welcome any change as progress, and see technology not as a tool, but as a good in itself.

>while denying the simple science that some people might feel differently about socialization than others.

Yeah, It certainly is just "differently", can't be worse. That's why depression is sky high among the youngs, loneliness and isolation is reported as having rocketed, and so on (and that's already pre covid).

Well, since it works out so well for them...

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#28

Post by mysore »

lockdown made me more depressed than ever. I had a breakup right before the lockdown and ended up overdosing on MDMA right at the start of it in april 2020. Overall haven't been able to recover emotionally or physically but I did get a better job that pays better than any job i've ever had. Eventually moved back in with my parents because it seemed pointless to live in a tiny new york appartment all alone and pay high rent. Now i feel stuck and I'm not sure where to go. I was thinking of traveling in south america because the time zones are the same. I've been feeling like life is kinda pointless. It's just the same thing on repeat everyday. It seems like the pandemic is never going away and we just have to adapt as a species.

Things seem bleak in america. Everyone is isolated. There's a housing crisis, a climate crisis, war and supply chain shortages everywhere.

Not sure what the point of this comment is, just wanted to vent.

I should feel happier than ever because of my new job but I've been depressed ever since my ex blocked me. I emailed her daily for about a year but she never responded so i stopped.

Re: One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown

#30

Post by chrisseaton »

coldtea wrote: post #24
chrisseaton wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As students (born in the internet+smartphone era) they were primed all their life to feel freer in asocial cocooning Don't know what kind of students you're thinking about - I can't imagine anyone more intensely social than a group of freshers?

That's maybe because you don't have experience with past groups of freshers to compare modern ones to...

Been involved with universities since 2003.
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