Publication date: Jan 28, 2025

The literature is equivocal as to whether the predicted negative mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic came to fruition. Some quantitative studies report increased emotional problems and depression; others report improved mental health and well-being. Qualitative explorations reveal heterogeneity, with themes ranging from feelings of loss to growth and development. This study aims to analyze free-text responses from children and young people participating in the Children and Young People With Long COVID study to get a clearer understanding of how young people were feeling during the pandemic. A total of 8224 free-text responses from children and young people were analyzed using InfraNodus, an artificial intelligence-powered text network analysis tool, to determine the most prevalent topics. A random subsample of 411 (5%) of the 8224 responses underwent a manual sentiment analysis; this was reweighted to represent the general population of children and young people in England. Experiences fell into 6 main overlapping topical clusters: school, examination stress, mental health, emotional impact of the pandemic, social and family support, and physical health (including COVID-19 symptoms). Sentiment analysis showed that statements were largely negative (314/411, 76. 4%), with a small proportion being positive (57/411, 13. 9%). Those reporting negative sentiment were mostly female (227/314, 72. 3%), while those reporting positive sentiment were mostly older (170/314, 54. 1%). There were significant observed associations between sentiment and COVID-19 status as well as sex (P=. 001 and P

Open Access PDF

Semantics

Original Article