Mental well-being is going badly for South West Flemish young people

“This study clearly shows how important a social network is for young people and that just fell away during the corona pandemic,” it sounds.

The research was conducted during the full corona period and that is reflected in the figures. On average, young people gave their social well-being a score of barely 2.6 out of 6. One in four to five young people indicated that they were not really satisfied with their life. “Young people who are not feeling well mainly appeal to their parents and friends,” says Laurence Platteau of Logo Leieland, who organized the survey together with Howest. “As they get older, the importance of friends increases. And that social contact was lost due to the corona pandemic. Only one in ten takes the step to help with mental problems. The range of help is very diverse, but young people know it. often still too little.”

Challenge

Logo Leieland wants to guide and support the regional partner organizations with the results of the survey. “This study clearly shows how important a social network is. We also want to remove barriers to aid provision and give young people more say”, says Platteau.

Chairman of Logo Leieland and brand new co-chairman of Groen Jeremie Vaneeckhout emphasized the importance of tailor-made policy advice for South West Flanders. “The problems in this region are not the same as those of young people in, say, Ghent. Targeted working is also important, because the figures also show that young people from TSO, KSO, BSO and Buso gave themselves lower scores for mental well-being. The challenge is to bridge this gap as well, so that we can hopefully present better figures within a few years.”