Mental strain of pandemic hits under-25s more than most

YOUNGER people are feeling more anxious during the coronavirus outbreak, a new study shows.

Despite older people being more vulnerable to the virus, the situation is hitting the mental health of the under25s.

Almost one-third of under25s are experiencing high anxiety levels during the pandemic.

An NUIG-DCU study has revealed 29.1pc of those under 25 stated they are experiencing “much more” anxiety during Covid-19.

However, 7.3pc of the over65s surveyed are feeling “less anxious” and even “more content”, and 41.1pc in this age group stated they feel “more or less the same as before the outbreak”.

Dr Akke Vellinga, epidemiologist and senior lecturer at the NUIG School of Medicine, told the Irish Independent: “The impact of the pandemic on well-being and mental health would appear to be greater for younger compared to older people.

“This may be explained by the fact that younger people are likely to have experienced a much greater change in dayto-day living than those in the older population.”

The Corona Citizens’ Science Project is a national anonymous online survey conducted to understand how people are dealing with the pandemic and how it has impacted their lives.

While much of the Government advice has been targeted at protecting older people from the virus, the research seems to indicate social distancing restrictions may be impacting the mental health of the younger population.

Dr Vellinga said: “We asked a question about being anxious or being more anxious and some older people are saying they are more content than they ever were.