Developing Awareness and Empathy for Young People with Fewer Opportunities

Infancy, childhood and adolescence are ages of both vulnerability and opportunity in mental health (WHO, 2022b). Individuals who have a secure and supportive period of adolescence and childhood behind them, and who are able to exercise emotional control and social aptitudes, are better equipped to deal with the set of choices and challenges that inevitably present themselves in adulthood (WHO, 2012).

Socially marginalized groups tend to experience higher rates of mental disorders compared to the general population, often facing challenges in accessing healthcare. (Priebe et al., 2012).

Risk factors for the mental health

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Determinants of an individual’s well-being encompass risk factors as unemployment associated with greater health care use and higher death rates. An important source of well-being is participation in the life and activities of the local community in which individuals and their families live. Being excluded from such activities, due to different reasons, can have a negative impact on an individual’s well-being (WHO, 2012).

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Ill-health or disability constitutes another important risk factor for psychological well-being in general and depression in particular. Individuals with chronic disease or disability – whether comorbid with depression or not – are at an elevated risk of being marginalized from social or community activities, particularly those associated with stigma or discrimination (WHO, 2012).

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Additionally, the shift to remote learning has resulted in an erosion of many protective factors that attending school offers, including daily routines, social contact, social and emotional support from teachers, sense of belonging to a community, and access to physical exercise. (OECD, 2021).