#[1]alternate [2]alternate [3]Homepage Accessibility links * [4]Skip to content * [5]Accessibility Help [6]BBC Account [7]Notifications * [8]Home * [9]News * [10]Sport * [11]Weather * [12]iPlayer * [13]Sounds * [14]CBBC * [15]CBeebies * [16]Food * [17]Bitesize * [18]Arts * [19]Taster * [20]Local * [21]Three * [22]Menu [23]Search Search the BBC ____________________ (BUTTON) Search the BBC [24]News BBC News Navigation Sections * [25]Home * [26]US Election * [27]Coronavirus * [28]Video * [29]World * [30]US & Canada * [31]UK selected * [32]Business * [33]Tech * [34]Science * [35]Stories * [36]Entertainment & Arts * [37]Health * [38]In Pictures * [39]Reality Check * [40]World News TV * [41]Newsbeat * [42]Long Reads [43]UK selected * [44]England * [45]N. Ireland * [46]Scotland * [47]Wales * [48]Politics [49]UK [50]UK Coronavirus: Teens' anxiety levels dropped during pandemic, study finds * 24 August 2020 * [51]Share this with Facebook * [52]Share this with Messenger * [53]Share this with Twitter * [54]Share this with Email * [55]Share this with Facebook * [56]Share this with WhatsApp * [57]Share this with Messenger * [58]Share this with Twitter * [59]Share Share this with These are external links and will open in a new window + [60]Email Share this with Email + [61]Facebook Share this with Facebook + [62]Messenger Share this with Messenger + [63]Messenger Share this with Messenger + [64]Twitter Share this with Twitter + [65]Pinterest Share this with Pinterest + [66]WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp + [67]LinkedIn Share this with LinkedIn Copy this link [68]https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 [69]Read more about sharing. These are external links and will open in a new window (BUTTON) Close share panel Related Topics * [70]Coronavirus pandemic Pupils walking through a school playground Anxiety levels among young teenagers dropped during the coronavirus pandemic, a study has suggested. Thirteen to 14-year-olds were less anxious during lockdown than they had been last October, according to the University of Bristol survey. Researchers surveyed 1,000 secondary school children in south west England. They said the results were a "big surprise" and it raised questions about the impact of the school environment on teenagers' mental health. The findings come after Prof Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser, said children [71]were more likely to be harmed by not returning to school than they were if they caught coronavirus. The UK's four chief medical officers have sought to allay parents' concerns ahead of schools reopening in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the coming days. Schools in Scotland have already returned. And in a bid [72]to encourage parents to send children back to school, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it is "vitally important" pupils return to the classroom, with the life chances of a generation at stake. * [73]What can we learn from schools that have reopened? * [74]Missing school is 'worse than virus for children' * [75]Schools let down by lack of 'plan B', says union Researchers compared findings from a survey taken in October last year to answers given by teenagers in May this year. Both girls and boys recorded decreased levels of anxiety during that timeframe. In October, 54% of 13 to 14-year-old girls and 26% of boys of the same age said they felt anxious. When surveyed in May - several weeks after schools shut to most pupils and nationwide lockdown restrictions came into force - the proportion dropped to 45% of girls and 18% of boys. Researchers questioned 1,000 year nine students from 17 secondary schools across the south west of England. 'Big surprise' "With the whole world in the grip of a devastating pandemic, which has thrown everyone's lives into turmoil, the natural expectation would be to see an increase in anxiety," said lead author Emily Widnall. "While we saw anxiety levels rise for a few of our participants, it was a big surprise to discover quite the opposite was the case for many of them." Ms Widnall said pupils who felt least connected to school before lockdown saw a larger decrease in anxiety, raising questions about how the school environment affects some younger teenagers' mental well-being. Some parents said their experience echoed the survey results. Rebecca from Cardiff, who has a son aged 14 with Asperger's Syndrome and a 12-year-old boy who is also on the autism spectrum, said both children were happy before but the drop in their stress levels has been "unbelievable". She said they sleep better and have fewer "teenage episodes", such as "shouting, screaming, not wanting to get ready for school, not wanting to get out of bed". Their grades have also improved because "removing the social side from education has allowed them to focus on the learning", Rebecca said, but added that they were fortunate to have a school which handled online learning well. Making school 'more supportive' Caroline Ryder, from Warwickshire, said her sons, aged 13 and 15, missed friends but had been happier and calmer, with less conflict over homework or school behaviour issues. She said they had kept busy during lockdown learning things from YouTube that were unrelated to the curriculum, such as growing vegetables, bread-making, sewing, home-brewing, carpentry and bicycle maintenance. "This whole episode has demonstrated to me that school, in its current format, is not a happy experience for many kids," she said. Others said their children had suffered from the lack of school, however. Dr Judi Kidger, from the University of Bristol, said: "Our findings raise questions about the role of the school environment in explaining rises in mental health difficulties among teenagers in recent years. "As schools reopen, we need to consider ways in which schools can be more supportive of mental health for all students." * SCHOOLS: [76]Which are re-opening, when? * BUBBLES: [77]How do they work and who can be in yours? * SOCIAL DISTANCING: [78]What are the rules now? * LOOK-UP TOOL: [79]How many cases in your area? There was a 2% decrease in boys at risk of depression and a 3% increase in girls at risk of depression. The findings have been published in a report for the National Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research. Meanwhile, the UK's largest teaching union [80]has accused the government of letting down pupils, teachers and parents by failing to have a "plan B" if infections rise. The National Education Union, which represents more than 450,000 members, said more staff, extra teaching space and greater clarity on what to do if there is a spike in cases is needed for schools to reopen safely. It is expected that pupils in Northern Ireland going into years seven, 12 and 14 will return to school full-time on Monday, with the rest going back from 31 August. In England and Wales, pupils will return to school from 1 September. * SUMMER PLANS CANCELLED?: [81]Joe Wicks is here for you - bringing you sunshine in a podcast * GCSE AND A LEVEL STRESS: [82]How to deal with exam result emotions Are you a young person who suffers from anxiety? Are you a parent of a teenager who has anxiety? Email [83]haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: * WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803 * Tweet: [84]@BBC_HaveYourSay * Please read our [85]terms & conditions and [86]privacy policy If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the [87]BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [88]HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. Related Topics * [89]Coronavirus lockdown measures * [90]Schools * [91]Coronavirus pandemic * [92]Mental health * [93]Young people * [94]Anxiety Share this story [95]About sharing * [96]Email * [97]Facebook * [98]Messenger * [99]Messenger * [100]Twitter * [101]Pinterest * [102]WhatsApp * [103]LinkedIn More on this story * Coronavirus: Pubs 'may need to shut' to allow schools to reopen 1 August 2020 * Coronavirus will be with us forever, Sage scientist warns 22 August 2020 Top Stories [104]Russian opposition leader 'poisoned with Novichok' Germany says Alexei Navalny was attacked with a type of nerve agent used against an ex-spy in the UK. 2 September 2020 [105]US will not take part in global vaccine search 2 September 2020 [106]Thai king reinstates disgraced royal consort 2 September 2020 Features The nudists spreading coronavirus in French resort BTS send 'stay strong' message to fans Video How one man's death reverberated around the world 'I was committed to being single, and she changed that' Why US 'snapback' sanctions on Iran could fail Video 'I refuse to let a British slaver take my name away' Who is the Australian TV anchor detained by China? BBC Travel: Why the French love to complain The other public health crisis killing Canadians Elsewhere on the BBC [107] Football phrases 15 sayings from around the world [108]Full article Football phrases [109]Why you can trust BBC News BBC News Navigation [110]UK Sections * [111]England * [112]N. Ireland * [113]Scotland * [114]Wales * [115]Politics * [116]Home * [117]US Election * [118]Coronavirus * [119]Video * [120]World + [121]World Home + [122]Africa + [123]Asia + [124]Australia + [125]Europe + [126]Latin America + [127]Middle East * [128]US & Canada + [129]US & Canada Home * [130]UK selected + [131]UK Home + [132]England + [133]N. Ireland + [134]Scotland + [135]Wales + [136]Politics * [137]Business + [138]Business Home + [139]Market Data + [140]Global Trade + [141]Companies + [142]Entrepreneurship + [143]Technology of Business + [144]Connected World + [145]Global Education + [146]Economy * [147]Tech * [148]Science * [149]Stories * [150]Entertainment & Arts * [151]Health * [152]In Pictures * [153]Reality Check * [154]World News TV * [155]Newsbeat * [156]Long Reads BBC News Services * [157]On your mobile * [158]On smart speakers * [159]Get news alerts * [160]Contact BBC News Explore the BBC * [161]Home * [162]News * [163]Sport * [164]Weather * [165]iPlayer * [166]Sounds * [167]CBBC * [168]CBeebies * [169]Food * [170]Bitesize * [171]Arts * [172]Taster * [173]Local * [174]Three * [175]Terms of Use * [176]About the BBC * [177]Privacy Policy * [178]Cookies * [179]Accessibility Help * [180]Parental Guidance * [181]Contact the BBC * [182]Get Personalised Newsletters Copyright © 2020 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [183]Read about our approach to external linking. References Visible links 1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53884401 2. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ 4. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401#page 5. https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/ 6. https://account.bbc.com/account?ptrt=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 7. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 8. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ 9. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news 10. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport 11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather 12. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer 13. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds 14. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc 15. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies 16. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food 17. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize 18. https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts 19. https://www.bbc.co.uk/taster 20. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/localnews 21. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree 22. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401#orb-footer 23. https://search.bbc.co.uk/search?scope=all 24. https://www.bbc.com/news 25. https://www.bbc.com/news 26. https://www.bbc.com/news/election/us2020 27. https://www.bbc.com/news/coronavirus 28. https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines 29. https://www.bbc.com/news/world 30. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/us_and_canada 31. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 32. https://www.bbc.com/news/business 33. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology 34. https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment 35. https://www.bbc.com/news/stories 36. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment_and_arts 37. https://www.bbc.com/news/health 38. https://www.bbc.com/news/in_pictures 39. https://www.bbc.com/realitycheck 40. https://www.bbc.com/news/world_radio_and_tv 41. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat 42. https://www.bbc.com/news/the_reporters 43. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 44. https://www.bbc.com/news/england 45. https://www.bbc.com/news/northern_ireland 46. https://www.bbc.com/news/scotland 47. https://www.bbc.com/news/wales 48. https://www.bbc.com/news/politics 49. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 50. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 51. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 52. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 53. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 54. mailto:?subject=Shared from BBC News&body=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 55. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 56. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 57. fb-messenger://share/?app_id=58567469885&redirect_uri=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&link=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401?CMP=share_btn_me 58. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 59. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401#share-tools 60. mailto:?subject=Shared from BBC News&body=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 61. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 62. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 63. fb-messenger://share/?app_id=58567469885&redirect_uri=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&link=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401?CMP=share_btn_me 64. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 65. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 66. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 67. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 68. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 69. https://www.bbc.co.uk/faqs/questions/bbc_online/sharing 70. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cyz0z8w0ydwt/coronavirus-pandemic 71. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53875410 72. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53882175 73. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53881118 74. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53875410 75. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53882613 76. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-51643556 77. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52637354 78. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51506729 79. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274 80. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53882613 81. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08mc6vt?xtor=CS8-1000-[In_Article_Promo_Box]-[News_Promo_In_Article]-[News_Promo_In_Article_BBCSounds]-[PS_SOUNDS~N~p08mc6vt~JoeWicks_LouisTheroux_3rdAug_20thAug] 82. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08ny9r8?xtor=CS8-1000-[In_Article_Promo_Box]-[News_Promo_In_Article]-[News_Promo_In_Article_BBCSounds]-[PS_SOUNDS~N~p08ny9r8~LifeHacks_examresults_18thaug_20thAug] 83. mailto:haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk?subject=Anxiousteens53884401 84. http://twitter.com/BBC_HaveYourSay 85. http://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms/ 86. http://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/privacy-policy/ 87. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/have_your_say 88. mailto:Haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk 89. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c32p7j550qnt/coronavirus-lockdown-measures 90. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c40rjmqdl7zt/schools 91. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cyz0z8w0ydwt/coronavirus-pandemic 92. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cwlw3xz04egt/mental-health 93. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cv1v5k4n4p5t/young-people 94. https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c008ql150ewt/anxiety 95. http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/sharing.shtml 96. mailto:?subject=Shared from BBC News&body=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 97. http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=58567469885&redirect_uri=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&link=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401?SThisFB&display=popup 98. http://www.facebook.com/dialog/send?app_id=58567469885&redirect_uri=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&link=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401?SThisFB&display=popup 99. fb-messenger://share/?app_id=58567469885&redirect_uri=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&link=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401?CMP=share_btn_me 100. https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=BBC News - Coronavirus: Teens' anxiety levels dropped during pandemic, study finds&url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401 101. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&description=Researchers found pupils aged 13 and 14 were less anxious during lockdown compared to last year.&title=Coronavirus: Teens' anxiety levels dropped during pandemic, study finds&media=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2015/newsspec_10857/bbc_news_logo.png?cb=1 102. whatsapp://send/?text=BBC News | Coronavirus: Teens' anxiety levels dropped during pandemic, study finds - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401?ocid=wsnews.chat-apps.in-app-msg.whatsapp.trial.link1_.auin 103. https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401&title=Coronavirus: Teens' anxiety levels dropped during pandemic, study finds&summary=Researchers found pupils aged 13 and 14 were less anxious during lockdown compared to last year.&source=BBC 104. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54002880 105. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-53995140 106. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53994198 107. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/51MWxHsTD7YhW4gTWWtPvKf/end-to-end-with-15-football-phrases-from-around-the-world?intc_type=promo&intc_location=news&intc_campaign=fifteenfootballphrases_article&intc_linkname=radio4_sm_mid_c3 108. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/51MWxHsTD7YhW4gTWWtPvKf/end-to-end-with-15-football-phrases-from-around-the-world?intc_type=promo&intc_location=news&intc_campaign=fifteenfootballphrases_article&intc_linkname=radio4_sm_mid_c3 109. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-41670342 110. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 111. https://www.bbc.com/news/england 112. https://www.bbc.com/news/northern_ireland 113. https://www.bbc.com/news/scotland 114. https://www.bbc.com/news/wales 115. https://www.bbc.com/news/politics 116. https://www.bbc.com/news 117. https://www.bbc.com/news/election/us2020 118. https://www.bbc.com/news/coronavirus 119. https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines 120. https://www.bbc.com/news/world 121. https://www.bbc.com/news/world 122. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/africa 123. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/asia 124. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/australia 125. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/europe 126. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/latin_america 127. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/middle_east 128. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/us_and_canada 129. https://www.bbc.com/news/world/us_and_canada 130. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 131. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk 132. https://www.bbc.com/news/england 133. https://www.bbc.com/news/northern_ireland 134. https://www.bbc.com/news/scotland 135. https://www.bbc.com/news/wales 136. https://www.bbc.com/news/politics 137. https://www.bbc.com/news/business 138. https://www.bbc.com/news/business 139. https://www.bbc.com/news/business/market-data 140. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38507481 141. https://www.bbc.com/news/business/companies 142. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22434141 143. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-11428889 144. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45489065 145. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-12686570 146. https://www.bbc.com/news/business/economy 147. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology 148. https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment 149. https://www.bbc.com/news/stories 150. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment_and_arts 151. https://www.bbc.com/news/health 152. https://www.bbc.com/news/in_pictures 153. https://www.bbc.com/realitycheck 154. https://www.bbc.com/news/world_radio_and_tv 155. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat 156. https://www.bbc.com/news/the_reporters 157. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628994 158. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-50068132 159. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628323 160. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682 161. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ 162. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news 163. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport 164. https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather 165. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer 166. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds 167. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc 168. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies 169. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food 170. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize 171. https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts 172. https://www.bbc.co.uk/taster 173. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/localnews 174. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree 175. https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms/ 176. https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc 177. https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/privacy/ 178. https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/cookies/ 179. https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/ 180. https://www.bbc.co.uk/guidance 181. https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact 182. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter 183. https://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/links/ Hidden links: 185. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53884401#core-navigation 186. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53621613 187. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53875189 188. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53978430 189. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53989941 190. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-53977235/how-one-man-s-death-reverberated-around-the-world 191. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53760042 192. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53984818 193. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-53941979/i-refuse-to-let-a-british-slaver-take-my-name-away 194. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53980706 195. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200831-why-the-french-love-to-complain 196. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53954964