The mental health of Maltese youths was heavily impacted by the pandemic, according to a study that has uncovered how COVID-19 hit 13- to 25-year-olds on a number of fronts.

The 13-18 age group was the hardest hit by lockdowns and restrictions, with almost 75 per cent of respondents stating they were negatively affected mentally as opposed to just over half of 19- to 25-year-olds, the research conducted by the University of Malta’s Faculty for Social Well-being has shown.

A contributing factor could be the increased time spent at home, with stress brought about by fears of the pandemic leading to higher tensions among families and parental anxiety indirectly affecting younger members.

Commissioned by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, the study also looked at COVID’s effect on personal life and social relations.

Negative impacts on education were also reported while the impact on jobs was not major, with 40 per cent experiencing no change.

Physical health of youths largely unaffected

The physical health of Maltese youths was largely unaffected by the crisis, with over half of respondents reporting experiencing no impact, “probably largely due to the fact that no prolonged lockdown was imposed in Malta”.

Compared to this, countries which experienced a nationwide lockdown saw a decline in physical activity, the report noted, adding that another contributing factor could have been the measures in place to reduce the spread of the virus that might also have decreased spreadable illnesses.

Young women and girls have taken the hardest hit from the pandemic, according to the report, although the difference between them and their male counterparts was minimal at 46.7 per cent and 42.6 per cent respectively.

Women aged 13 to 25 were more likely than their male counterparts to feel that the COVID crisis worsened their mental health and personal and social relationships.

On the gender divide, the survey referred to a 2021 study which showed females have slightly higher rates of loneliness and are more likely to report this, a possible contributing factor to the higher number of ‘negative impact’ responses among them.

'We are not taking post-COVID impact seriously enough'

Managed by faculty dean, Andrew Azzopardi, with Annabel Cuff and Jeremy Caruso as research support officers, the study provides “further corroborative evidence of the adverse effect of the pandemic on the lives of young people”, just like those the world over.

In its conclusion, it highlights how the negative impact on their participation in education and on their mental well-being should not be underestimated.

“I believe we are not taking the post-COVID impact seriously enough,” said Azzopardi about the study’s objective to inform the community and lead to social policy changes.

“In other research the faculty is involved in, even when the pandemic is not at the centre of the studies, the fall-out of this phenomenon often surfaces,” he said, adding that there are “indications” youths have been impacted on a long-term level even more than older age groups.

“Our focus as a country seems to have stopped with tackling the economic impact. Maybe looking at other social, emotional and personal issues needs to be taken more seriously,” Azzopardi said.