IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i7p3837-d531049.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘I’m Gonna Tell You about How Mrs Rona Has Affected Me’. Exploring Young People’s Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in North East England: A Qualitative Diary-Based Study

Author

Listed:
  • Stephanie Scott

    (Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Sir James Spence Building, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK
    NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, St Nicholas’ Hospital, Jubilee Road, Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE3 3XT, UK)

  • Victoria J. McGowan

    (Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Sir James Spence Building, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK
    NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, St Nicholas’ Hospital, Jubilee Road, Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE3 3XT, UK)

  • Shelina Visram

    (Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Sir James Spence Building, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK
    NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, St Nicholas’ Hospital, Jubilee Road, Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE3 3XT, UK)

Abstract

Children and young people risk being ‘disproportionately harmed’ by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst an evolving body of literature focuses on the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, less attention has been paid to the collection of qualitative, exploratory data. The aim of this study was to examine young people in North East England’s experiences of COVID-19 and associated control measures. Flexible, qualitative diaries were collected with 31 young people aged 13–17 for six weeks between July and October 2020. Diary extracts were curated using Instagram Direct Messaging (DM), email and text messaging. At the end of this study, participants took part in a follow-up interview (conducted by telephone or Zoom), asking them to reflect on their diary entries. Thematic analysis of diaries and interviews yielded three central themes: (1) impacts upon mental health and emotional wellbeing; (2) disruptions and changes to education and school life; and (3) frustration, burden and responsibility. These findings highlight acute mental health impacts (loneliness, isolation, anxiety) as well as longer-term repercussions from disrupted education (missed parts of curriculum, home schooling, cancelled exams, periods of isolation) on young people aged 13–17 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephanie Scott & Victoria J. McGowan & Shelina Visram, 2021. "‘I’m Gonna Tell You about How Mrs Rona Has Affected Me’. Exploring Young People’s Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in North East England: A Qualitative Diary-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-21, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3837-:d:531049
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3837/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3837/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katriona O’Sullivan & Serena Clark & Amy McGrane & Nicole Rock & Lydia Burke & Neasa Boyle & Natasha Joksimovic & Kevin Marshall, 2021. "A Qualitative Study of Child and Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Milligan, Christine & Bingley, Amanda & Gatrell, Anthony, 2005. "Digging deep: Using diary techniques to explore the place of health and well-being amongst older people," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 1882-1892, November.
    3. Finiki Nearchou & Clodagh Flinn & Rachel Niland & Sheena Siva Subramaniam & Eilis Hennessy, 2020. "Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health Outcomes in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-19, November.
    4. Lee Elliot Major & Andrew Eyles & Stephen Machin, 2020. "Generation COVID: emerging work and education inequalities," CEP Covid-19 Analyses cepcovid-19-011, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rachel Winter & Anna Lavis, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Mental Health in the UK: Key Insights from Social Media Using Online Ethnography," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rachel Winter & Anna Lavis, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Mental Health in the UK: Key Insights from Social Media Using Online Ethnography," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Rhiannon Thompson & Lucy Brown & Rakhi Biswas Evans & Rayhan Mahbub & Amelia Rees & Molly Wilson & Lindsay H. Dewa & Helen Ward & Mireille B. Toledano, 2024. "Change, Adversity, and Adaptation: Young People’s Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic Expressed through Artwork and Semi-Structured Interviews," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(5), pages 1-26, May.
    3. Jung-In Yoo & Joung-Kyue Han & Hyun-Su Youn & Joo-Hyug Jung, 2021. "Comparison of Health Awareness in South Korean Middle School Students According to Type of Online Physical Education Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-10, July.
    4. Seung-Man Lee & Jung-In Yoo & Hyun-Su Youn, 2021. "Changes in Alienation in Physical Education Classes, School Happiness, and Expectations of a Future Healthy Life after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korean Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-11, October.
    5. Kevin Lanza & Casey P. Durand & Melody Alcazar & Sierra Ehlers & Kai Zhang & Harold W. Kohl, 2021. "School Parks as a Community Health Resource: Use of Joint-Use Parks by Children before and during COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-14, September.
    6. Rosa Bosch & Mireia Pagerols & Raquel Prat & Gemma Español-Martín & Cristina Rivas & Montserrat Dolz & Josep Maria Haro & Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga & Marta Ribasés & Miquel Casas, 2022. "Changes in the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Associated Factors and Life Conditions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Oliver Laasch & Dirk C. Moosmayer & Frithjof Arp, 2020. "Responsible Practices in the Wild: An Actor-Network Perspective on Mobile Apps in Learning as Translation(s)," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 253-277, January.
    8. Nolan, Anne & Smyth, Emer, 2022. "Disrupted transitions: young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS142.
    9. Tania Clarke & Ruth Platt, 2023. "Children’s Lived Experiences of Wellbeing at School in England: a Phenomenological Inquiry," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(3), pages 963-996, June.
    10. Nancy Worth, 2009. "Making Use of Audio Diaries in Research with Young People: Examining Narrative, Participation and Audience," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 14(4), pages 77-87, September.
    11. Emma Sethina Adjaottor & Frimpong-Manso Addo & Florence Aninniwaa Ahorsu & Hsin-Pao Chen & Daniel Kwasi Ahorsu, 2022. "Predictors of COVID-19 Stress and COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance among Adolescents in Ghana," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-14, June.
    12. Dae-Jung Lee & Wi-Young So & Seung-Man Lee, 2021. "The Relationship between Korean Adolescents’ Sports Participation, Internal Health Locus of Control, and Wellness during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-13, March.
    13. Yu-Hsiu Chu & Yao-Chuen Li, 2022. "The Impact of Online Learning on Physical and Mental Health in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-10, March.
    14. Dilan Aksoy & Celeste Simões & Céline Anne Favre, 2023. "Exposure to Intimate-Partner Violence and Resilience Trajectories of Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Latent Transition Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-21, April.
    15. Jake Anders & Lindsey Macmillan & Patrick Sturgis & Gill Wyness, 2021. "Inequalities in young peoples' educational experiences and wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic," CEPEO Working Paper Series 21-08, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Jul 2021.
    16. Keonhyeong Lee & Liyuan Wang, 2023. "Chinese High-Tech Export Performance: Effects of Intellectual Capital Mediated by Dynamic and Risk Management Capabilities," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, February.
    17. Reuben Kindred & Glen W. Bates, 2023. "The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Anxiety: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-28, January.
    18. Michal Molcho & Aoife Gavin & Devon Goodwin, 2021. "Levels of Physical Activity and Mental Health in Adolescents in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    19. Michael Zeiler & Tanja Wittek & Leonie Kahlenberg & Eva-Maria Gröbner & Martina Nitsch & Gudrun Wagner & Stefanie Truttmann & Helene Krauss & Karin Waldherr & Andreas Karwautz, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Adolescent Patients with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Interview Study Involving Adolescents and Parents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-16, April.
    20. Giulia Casu & Valentina Hlebec & Licia Boccaletti & Irena Bolko & Alessandra Manattini & Elizabeth Hanson, 2021. "Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being among Adolescent Young Carers in Europe: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-23, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3837-:d:531049. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.