Young people experiencing worsening mental health during the pandemic. What are Pandemials?

The World Economic Forum published its "Global Risks Report 2021" in January 2021. It identifies risks likely to occur or have significant impact over the next decade. One such risk highlighted is the "Pandemials" (the generation aged 15-24 living through the pandemic).

What lies behind the mental health of young people who will shape the future? What discussions are taking place? We introduce the "current state" of mental health amidst the ongoing restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<Table of Contents>
▼The Hardships of Pandemials
▼Workplaces Seeking Mental Health Solutions
▼Mental Health: A Concern Even Before COVID-19
▼Will Pandemic-Related Struggles Become Long-Term?
▼Internal Branding: The Key to Addressing Youth Well-being
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Pandemic Generation's Hardships

The Global Risks Report identifies the pandemic generation (ages 15-24) as a "wounded generation" due to "an ill-fitting education system, deep-rooted climate change issues, and violence occurring worldwide." It warns this generation faces the risk of becoming the "21st Century's Double Lost Generation," having been exposed to the social and economic shocks of two global crises: the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persistent uncertainty in economic and educational prospects could widen disparities and heighten youth discontent. This is expected to generate "long-term global risks such as radical social protests and intergenerational social divisions."

The report also cites data indicating that "80% of children and young people worldwide have experienced worsening mental health" during the pandemic, emphasizing the need for international action to minimize these risks.

"Living Together" Photo by Masaki Nakamura

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Workplace Mental Health Support: A Path Still Being Sought

Globally, we are still exploring approaches to mental health in the workplace—the place that should serve as a support system for the younger generation entering society with their own scars. On January 25th, the World Economic Forum's online meeting, "Davos Agenda," hosted a workshop titled " Prioritizing Workplace Mental Health." Key points include "inclusion" – encouraging the participation of those directly affected to build grounded systems – and "alliances" – establishing cooperative frameworks that transcend corporate boundaries.

Specifically, Panny Renggen, former CEO of Deloitte Global and a global leader in this field, reported on initiatives her global company launched to create a mentally healthy work environment. She highlighted how they are exploring best practices for mental health improvement in collaboration with multiple global corporations, including HSBC Holdings and Salesforce.

Gallen Staglin, co- founder of One Mind at Work—a global organization advocating for workplace mental health with members including Johnson & Johnson and Mastercard—also emphasized the need to understand "neurodiversity," recognizing that individuals perceive situations and stress differently even in identical environments. While technology effective for mental health has been developed recently, many approaches still lack robust scientific validation, and the optimal solution remains elusive. Going forward, it is expected that more people will share their wisdom, strengthening the movement to protect young people's mental health.

To encourage active discussion, it is also essential to foster an atmosphere where talking about young people's mental health is not taboo and where their voices are readily heard. Positive signs are emerging globally.

For example, in Wolverhampton, UK, The Way Youth Zone was established as an art space district contributing to the physical and mental health of young people aged 8 to 19. The fact that Prince William and his wife visited this district in May 2021 also suggests a trend toward publicly addressing youth mental health.

Then in June, a professional tennis player announced their intention to withdraw from a major tournament due to prolonged depression, bringing mental health discussions to the surface in the sports world, where strength has traditionally been a virtue. The phrase "it’s O.K. not to be O.K." ( ) is challenging the way mental health is discussed globally, including within the sports industry.

Mental Health: A Focus Even Before COVID-19

While many may associate the term "mental health" with a private issue best left untouched, its importance in the business world has been discussed since before the pandemic.

According to a joint study by the WHO and ILO (International Labour Organization), since the early 2000s, the US has lost approximately 200 million days of annual workable days annually due to depression, with national costs for countermeasures estimated at around $30-40 billion (※1).

Furthermore, mental health is included in SDG Goal 3, "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages," which aims for achievement by 2030. To encourage concrete action, cost-benefit estimates have also been published in recent years.

While treatment costs are estimated at $91.5 billion (approximately ¥10 trillion) across 36 countries from 2016 to 2030, calculations suggest that if the United States were to invest in treatment and implement countermeasures, the economic benefits from extended healthy life expectancy combined with other health promotion effects would yield a 5.3-fold return on investment (※2).

※1
Source: Gaston Harnois, Phyllis Gabriel. World Health Organization and International Labour Organization. March 1, 2000. Mental health and work: impact, issues, and good practices.
https://www.ilo.org/skills/pubs/WCMS_108152/lang--en/index.htm

※2
Source: UN Task Force. World Health Organization. March 22, 2021. Mental health investment case: a guidance note.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240019386
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&nbsp;Will Pandemic Distress Persist Long-Term?

Looking at the number of topics in COVID-related papers registered in the database operated by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, research on epidemiology increased around April 2020, early in the pandemic, and research on public health increased around August. However, the number of papers on mental health peaked in November (※3).

※3
Source: Holly Else. December 16, 2020. "How a torrent of COVID science changed research publishing — in seven charts," Nature.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03564-y

There is hope that worsening mental health during the pandemic will improve as vaccinations progress. On the other hand, some voices suggest that the hardships of the pandemic generation may become "long-term" when looking back at past experiences.

A 12-year longitudinal study in Taiwan, conducted from 2003 to assess the impact of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), found a long-term increase in mental disorders and suicide risk (※4).

Research and surveys are also progressing regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. Data released last September indicates that in Australia alone, the cumulative cost of lost productivity due to mental health impacts between 2020 and 2025 is estimated at AUD 114 billion (approximately ¥9 trillion). Of this, approximately 10%, or AUD 11.3 billion (approximately ¥900 billion), represents losses attributable to the youth demographic (※5).

※4
Source: Nian-Sheng Tzeng, Chi-Hsiang Chung, Chuan-Chia Chang, Hsin-An Chang, Yu-Chen Kao, Shan-Yueh Chang &amp; Wu-Chien Chien. October 6, 2020. "What could we learn from SARS when facing the mental health issues related to the COVID-19 outbreak? A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan," Translational Psychiatry.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-01021-y

※5
Source: Vivienne Reiner. September 2, 2020. "The impact of COVID-19 on the mental wealth of Australia" The University of Sydney.
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/09/02/the-impact-of-covid19-on-the-mental-wealth-of-australia.html
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Internal Branding: The Key to Addressing Youth Well-being

Against the backdrop of heightened attention to mental health during the pandemic, Japanese companies face scrutiny as global trends push toward creating inclusive, cross-organizational communication environments that foster the sharing of wisdom.

According to the "Second Internal Branding Survey" conducted in 2021 by the Corporate Communications Strategy Institute (within Dentsu Inc. PR), regarding mental support provided by employers during the pandemic, approximately half (49.3%) of the 1,000 business professionals surveyed nationwide (aged 20-69) responded that "support was available." However, even among those who received support, 19.3% stated "it was available, but it wasn't really needed," "It was provided, but it was actually bothersome" (14.2%). Combined with those who answered "No such support was provided" (50.7%), this means over 80% (84.2%) of people did not receive adequate mental health support. This indicates that many Japanese workplaces still lack effective mental health support systems.