This article looks at young people with disabilities aged 15-29. It aimed to understand the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the mental health of this group.

We already know that the pandemic had a negative impact on mental health. We also know about its impact on the mental health of young people. We don’t know very much about its impact on the mental health of disabled young people. This is why the researchers were interested in the topic. They wanted to find out what research had already been done.

The researchers first predicted what they would find. They thought the pandemic would have a big impact on the mental health of disabled young people. This impact would be much larger than for young people without disabilities. They expected this because the mental health of disabled young people before the pandemic was generally worse compared to non-disabled young people.

The researchers then looked for studies that had already been done. They followed a specific process called a ‘systematic review’. These summarise previous research and judge its results. It gives us an overview of other research and helps us to make sense of its findings.

The researchers only found two studies with relevant information. This is despite young disabled people making up one-third of the world’s total disability population.

The study found that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the mental health of young people with disabilities compared to those without. It concluded there is some evidence that the pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health of young people with disabilities.

We think this might be because the pandemic made some of the things that lead to poor mental health more intense. For example, it made it even harder for disabled young people to find the best healthcare. We need more research in this area to fully understand the issue.

About the author:

Rosie (she/they) is a lived experience research assistant living with mental illness. She loves the challenge of pursuing her interests in literature and health sciences concurrently and is proudly the only poet-physiotherapist that she knows of.