General well-being and mental health

During the second research round, the majority of the young people surveyed indicated they were in good general health (86%) and felt happy (79%), which is in line with the first research round. Their level of confidence in the future varied: about half of the questioned young people had confidence or great confidence in the future, while the other half had limited to no confidence. Most felt mentally healthy (70%) and were rarely or never lonely (66%). The majority also did not report having any suicidal thoughts (91%). It is important to note here that a significant group is not doing so well. For example, 30% of young people reported experiencing mental health problems, over a third (34%) felt lonely sometimes to most of the time, and 9% had had suicidal thoughts.

Opinions divided on impact of measures

Half of the young people (49%) perceived a negative or very negative impact from the measures. The other half (51%) were mostly neutral to positive. In addition, about one in five young people (18%) indicated that they often or very often felt stressed as a result of the COVID-19 situation and/or the measures.

Spike in GP visits for depression-related symptoms

The previous overview of figures showed that the number of GP visits in 2021 – and especially from summer onwards – was at a similar level for many symptoms as during that same period in 2019. For most symptoms, this also applied in November and December 2021. However, the demand for care for depression-related symptoms and nausea among young people increased during the last months of 2021. This spike was higher than in previous years. Young people in the upper range of the age group (15-24 years) and girls were more likely to visit the GP for mental health symptoms (anxiety and depression) and for symptoms such as tiredness and dizziness.

While last quarter showed an increase in the number of GP visits for respiratory symptoms in children aged 0-4 years, the last months of 2021 showed a decrease. GPs reported far fewer respiratory symptoms than usual during this period. This is likely a result of the (extended) holiday period and the lockdown, combined with the absence of the usual RSV outbreak that took place in summer 2021.

Need for mental support during epidemic

82% of young people said they did not need additional help or support during the epidemic; 18% did feel a need for additional help or support. These survey participants indicated that they mainly needed mental support (69%), help with school (35%) and help finding a proper school-life and/or work-life balance (30%).

Nearly 1 in 5 young people needed additional support

Almost 1 in 5 young people (18%) said they had needed additional help or support during the epidemic; a significant majority (82%) did not feel this need. They mainly needed mental support (69%), help with school (35%) and help finding a proper school-life and/or work-life balance (30%).

Almost one in ten young people faced delayed care

Nearly 1 in 10 young people (9%) faced delayed care. About one-third of those (34%) indicated that they had still not received that care even now. Moreover, of all young people facing delayed care, 12% indicated that they experienced significant negative consequences as a result.

Girls and university students felt less good about themselves

Girls in the entire age group and young people in the upper range of the age group (15-24 years) were more likely see their GP for mental and neurological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, but also dizziness, tiredness and memory or concentration problems. These groups also indicated they were more likely to suffer from mental health problems; this also applied to young people not living with their parents and to students (at universities of applied sciences and research universities). Young people who are still suffering from the impact of an intense experience (such as loss of personal income or the death of someone important to them) are also in poorer perceived physical and mental health. Socio-economic status and level of highest completed education has a varying influence.

Situation overview: the COVID-19 crisis and current measures

The second round of the quarterly survey of the youth panel was conducted in December 2021. The primary care data is about healthcare utilisation in November and December 2021. Before this research round, the number of COVID-19 infections had been rising for some time. The infection rate decreased slightly during the research round (RIVM, 2022). As of 13 November 2021, a number of stringent measures were implemented. These included mandatory use of face masks in public areas, the urgent advice to work from home, a maximum number of visitors that could be received at home (4), limited opening hours for shops, cafés and restaurants and a coronavirus entry pass for certain locations. From 26 November 2021, closing time for nearly all locations was 17:00 and a lockdown was in effect from 19 December 2021 (during the data collection period). In addition, schools, shops, cafés and restaurants were closed and the maximum number of visitors allowed at home was reduced to 2 (except on Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s).

For the purposes of the study, we surveyed a panel of young people aged 12 to 25 years. Many young people (82%) who participated in the second research round had also participated in the first round (September/October 2021). We also analysed primary care data on healthcare utilisation among people aged 0 to 24 years.

Approach used in the quarterly youth study

The quarterly study is based on two data sources. The first data source is a survey-based study among youth. In December 2021, a total of 4,751 young people between the ages of 12 and 25 years answered questions about their mental and physical health. They were also able to indicate what kind of additional help or support they needed during the COVID-19 period, the effect this period had on their lives and whether the COVID-19 crisis had caused delays in their medical care or failure to access care at all. This is relevant because both groups of study participants are representative of Dutch young people (based on gender, age, education and region).

The second data source consists of data from general practitioners (recorded in the primary care database maintained by Nivel – the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research). This data comprises weekly figures on symptoms and conditions among the Dutch population based on (anonymised) data from electronic medical records from GP practices.

The data comes from about 380 GP practices, offering healthcare services to roughly 1.6 million registered patients (9% of the Dutch population). The quarterly study lists the occurrence of 20 different symptoms, such as headache, sleep disturbance and tiredness. Figures for 2021 were compared to the figures for 2020 and 2019, differentiating between age groups (0-4, 5-14 and 15-24 years), gender and provinces.