Essex schoolchildren "low in confidence" five years on from pandemic
It's five years since schools and universities in England and Wales were forced to shut, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
As we mark five years since schools and universities in England and Wales were forced to shut in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we're hearing from a counsellor working with school children across Essex.
Renew Counselling offer low cost counselling to children, young people and adults across Chelmsford, Basildon, Brentwood, Braintree and Maldon.
A schools counsellor there, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Greatest Hits Radio many kids "just don't want to be here".
New research commissioned by Clinical Partners, one of the UK’s leading mental health service providers, has found that this generation is still struggling with the impacts of COVID- 19 today, with an estimated 2.3 million (37%) 18–25-year-olds admitting that their mental health including stress, anxiety and other conditions have worsened since the pandemic.
The counsellor added: "many parents are still struggling to get their kids to go to school. Many had their development years doing school from home, and so getting them to go to school, is still tough.
"There's very low confidence, a lot of general and social anxiety issues, and crucially, relationship issues are huge.
"Children just haven't had that grounding of coming into school, mixing, making friends, breaking up with friends, and now they struggle to form relationships with other people.
Five years on from the pandemic, there is still a lingering impact in the workplace too with over half of 18–25-year-olds experiencing increased anxiety in professional settings (51%).
When it comes to finding jobs, 40% agree that COVID held them back in their careers, with 38% suspecting that their qualifications earned during the pandemic have been undervalued by employers.
Socially, 31% of 18-25-year-olds say they have less of a social life since COVID and 23% feel disconnected from the person they were before lockdown. One in five (22%) still reflect on the key life experiences they missed due to the pandemic.
One in five (19%) young people say they have turned to smoking and vaping and one in ten (10%) have used alcohol as coping mechanisms for their mental health issues. Although 15% of young people have accessed therapy, barriers to seeking professional support include long waiting times (30%), fear of judgement (28%) and uncertainty about where to turn (20%).
Naturally, young people were not the only ones affected. When surveying the parents of the COVID generation, research has also found that 6 in 10 (58%) say that it was challenging to help their child adjust to the world after lockdown with just under 1 in 4 (24%) admitting a sense of guilt about the life experiences their child missed.