“After the virus pandemic, a mental pandemic awaits us,” warns APH researcher Prof. Dr. Arne Popma. Especially children and young adults will need help with this, Popma expects, because their cognitive but also social development has been disturbed by all kinds of corona restrictions of the past two years.

“Many mental problems start around the 18th year of life. And three-quarters of mental problems develop before the age of 25,” Popma says. “So that can have can have a huge effect on a lot of things, such as whether or not to finish school, whether or not to pick up work, as well as entering into social and romantic relationships. Research shows it even affects how many healthy years of life you have ahead of you.”

Children who are already vulnerable to mental health problems or grow up in environments that evoke these problems more quickly – for example, in poor families with a lot of stress – are at extra risk. Also because mental recovery, after the disappearance of all corona restrictions, is not as smooth as for adults.  

“We think that is because children are still developing biologically. Their brain is still plastic, neural networks are being built and need to mature. If vulnerable children in such phase experience too much stress, too much uncertainty or too many psychological problems for too long, it can affect the extent to which they can deal with life’s challenges later in life,  for example, their flexibility.”

Corona measures also meant a standstill in their development for many young people. That development takes place in steps, for example, from secondary education to university. “if, for two years, you don’t succeed in starting that study because you feel lonely because you happen not to live in a student house, if you can’t muster the nerve or have sufficient social skills to make contacts, then it is not surprising that people stop their studies and go back home.”

What matters now is to empower young people. “That’s when you have the most impact,” says the youth psychiatrist. “Schools and parents need to pay attention to the child.” Parents need to give their children space to tell their stories; for schools, there are proven effective programs like “De gezonde school” or “de Vreedzame school”. The point is to minimize the risks of negative life events.

“We know that most kids do not have a lasting impact from such events if it is only one, for example the corona crisis. But if you have experienced an average of four negative life events, you cross a threshold and the likelihood of addiction, poverty, less health, social and community problems is significantly higher.”

Read full article in Het Parool.