Sheffield City Council has published a report of findings from its survey with Sheffield’s children and young people on their experiences of coronavirus and life in lockdown.
In March this year, 299 secondary school aged children took part in a questionnaire to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the wellbeing of children and young people in the city and utilise their thoughts and experiences to inform future service provision.
It was recognised that although young people are less likely to get seriously ill from the virus, the pandemic will still have had a profound effect on their lives in many other ways.
Concerns about loved ones catching the virus, school and exam anxieties and loneliness were felt across the board with 63% of respondents saying that they have ‘struggled more than usual with their mental health and wellbeing’. One young person shared how they have been experiencing “more panic attacks, sickness, more headaches, anxiousness and depression”, whilst another reported that they have been “constantly worrying about death”. However, despite the challenges faced by young people over the past year, the report reveals some positive findings such as 56% of participants said that they enjoyed spending more time with family and many welcomed the opportunity to take up or rediscover new hobbies.
The report provides a detailed analysis of what young people said via the survey and is divided up by questions, responses, and themes.
You can read the full report here.
