Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Enhanced Monitoring and Tailored Prevention
In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health—particularly among children and adolescents—Santé publique France has stepped up its monitoring efforts and launched population-based studies. A prevention campaign tailored to adolescents has been developed to encourage them to speak up and make use of remote support services.
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Youth Mental Health: Enhanced Monitoring to Track and Measure Trends
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to curb it have disrupted everyone’s lives, particularly those of children and adolescents, with visible consequences on the deterioration of mental health observed by healthcare and education professionals and confirmed by the Santé publique France surveillance system.
Mental health surveillance reports to track trends in emergency room visits and SOS Médecins consultations
Weekly mental health surveillance reports are produced each week to measure and track trends in the use of services, for example, for suicidal acts, mood disorders, or anxiety disorders based on emergency room visits (OSCOUR®) or SOS Médecins consultations, as well as monthly national and regional reports that provide additional analysis in terms of indicators and age groups. Analyses of data from the National Health System (SNDS) are also underway.
What do these data show us?
Since early 2021, this data has shown an increase in emergency room visits for suicidal acts, suicidal thoughts, and mood disorders among children aged 11–17 (middle and high school students) and, to a lesser extent, among those aged 18–24. Children aged 11–14 (middle school students) were the most affected.
By late 2021 and early January 2022, visits for mood disorders tended to return to levels comparable to those of previous years, unlike visits for suicidal thoughts and attempts, which remained at significantly higher levels.
Specific studies on youth mental health
Special attention was also given to children and adolescents through the Confeado study, which aimed to understand, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, how children and adolescents aged 9 to 16 experienced the first lockdown and how it may have affected their well-being.
The initial findings highlighted disparities in mental health, typically observed by age and gender, with mental health being more severely impacted among adolescents (13–18 years old) than among children (9–12 years old) and also more severely impacted among girls than among boys.
The results also revealed a clear social divide. Children and adolescents from more vulnerable families, facing more difficult living conditions and experiencing social isolation, experienced greater psychological distress. A lack of activities, increased time spent on social media and screens, a feeling of being overwhelmed by schoolwork, a close relative contracting COVID-19, and hospitalization due to COVID-19 were also factors associated with distress.
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Furthermore, starting in spring 2022, the Enabee study—the National Study on Children’s Well-Being—will be launched, as announced by the President of the Republic less than a year ago and formalized by Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State for Children and Families, in April 2021.
Enabee: A Study on Children's Well-Being
In the spring of 2022, Santé publique France, with the support of the Ministries of Health and National Education and stakeholders working with children (healthcare professionals, teachers, parents, etc.), is launching a public health study aimed at describing the well-being of children aged 3 to 11, any emotional or learning difficulties they may face, associated factors, and their use of healthcare services. This study involves 500 randomly selected schools, nearly 30,000 children from preschool through fifth grade, as well as their families and teachers.
The results will provide objective population-based data on children’s well-being and health—data that is all the more necessary during and after a health crisis—to guide public policy in selecting prevention and care strategies and actions.
The implementation of such a nationwide study requires a preliminary survey, known as a pilot survey, to test the entire data collection system, its feasibility, and its acceptability, and to make the necessary adjustments before the national study is implemented in May–June 2022. This pilot study is taking place in January among 2,000 children, with data collection in elementary schools from January 10 to 17, 2022.
“I’ll Talk to”: A Campaign to Encourage Teens to Open Up
Following on from the “Talking about it is already part of the healing process” campaign, an initiative specifically tailored for teens (ages 11–17) was launched in June 2021: “I’m talking to.” It has been extended through June 2022 with three 15-second videos shared on social media. The campaign aims to help mitigate the health crisis’s impact on young teens’ mental health by encouraging them to talk to a trusted adult and use the Fil Santé Jeunes remote support service.
The campaign is also promoted through posters in public spaces to reach young people who have little or no access to social media or digital tools.
Remote support services to facilitate access to resources and contact information for healthcare professionals
Santé publique France has strengthened its partnerships, particularly with Fil Santé Jeunes, a free and anonymous service for young people aged 12 to 25, offering a helpline, 0 800 235 236, available 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and a website providing information, a forum, a chat feature, and referrals to support services. Specific content has been created, particularly on the topic of COVID-19 and mental health, providing information on warning signs, advice on self-care, and resources for young people.
To facilitate access to information and resources, a section dedicated to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic has been created on the Santé publique France website, listing key resources and remote support services, categorized by topic (violence, grief, psychological distress, addiction, parenting, etc.) and by population group (children, students, older adults, etc.).
Learn more - Remote health support: available services
Identifying signs of mental health issues and guiding young people through the “Mental Health First Aid” modules
Santé publique France provides financial support and assists the PSSM France association in developing and rolling out mental health first aid training modules aimed at destigmatizing people with mental health disorders.
In late 2021, Santé publique France funded the development of a specific module for adults who interact with adolescents on a daily basis, to help them identify the early signs of mental health issues and refer young people to care appropriate to their situation. Training for the “Youth” module will be available starting in early 2022.
For more information: https://pssmfrance.fr/
Mental Health Monitoring Reports
Check out the weekly mental health syndromic surveillance reports produced by Santé publique France.
