CCopeY: Examining young people's mental health in the UK during COVID-19

Young people wearing masks waiting in a queue

What is the CCopeY study?

Launched in April 2020, the study aims to examine young people's mental health and coping strategies during and after COVID-19 lockdown. Led by Dr Lindsay Dewa, the study worked together with young people with lived experience of mental health difficulties as research partners throughout all research stages, which has involved online surveys, in-depth interviews and both qualitative and quantitative data analyses.

What has the CCopeY study found?

Published findings from our first study revealed that around a third of young people surveyed had poor mental health during the first lockdown. It also identified factors that were linked with poor mental health alongside useful coping strategies young people were using.

Building on this work, we’ve been carrying out further in-depth studies to see how young people’s mental health has changed throughout the pandemic, in addition to comparing how they coped during the first and third national lockdowns. We’re also working with young co-researchers and UK and international collaborators to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of young people across Europe, the first qualitative systematic review of its kind. This synthesis of evidence will help to inform policy and practice during pandemic recovery.