The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely discussed during the past few months, with scholars expressing concern about its potential debilitating consequences on youth mental health. Hence, this research aimed to provide a systematic review of the evidence on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on youth mental health. We conducted a mixed methods integrated review to identify any empirical study that focused on young people ≤ 18 years old. Eight databases were systematically searched to identify studies of any type of research design. The selection procedure followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The protocol of this systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (protocol ID: CRD4202019375). Twelve studies deemed eligible for data extraction (n = 12,262). The findings show that COVID-19 has an impact on youth mental health and is particularly associated with depression and anxiety in adolescent cohorts. The quality appraisal indicated that all studies were of low or moderate methodological quality. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting young people’s lives, and thus generating robust research evidence to inform policy decisions is essential. Hence, the methodological quality of future research should be drastically improved.

The Internet is an important platform for providing sexual health information for emerging adults. However, less is known about what content is accessed, why it is accessed and what practical barriers exist. Emerging adulthood is a developmental period often associated with increased risky sexual behaviour. This study explored practical aspects of accessing online sexual health information including the type of content accessed, reasons for accessing informationand practical barriers to accessing websites. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was applied. Participants were 751 emerging adults aged 18–29 years old (M = 23.3; SD = 3.11), recruited from the Republic of Ireland. Participants completed an online survey including variables about demographics, Internet searches for sex-related information, reasons for conducting searches, important aspects and practical difficulties in accessing sexual health websites. Most participants reported using the Internet for sexual health information. Content accessed related to sexually transmitted infections, contraceptives and relationship advice. Reasons for conducting searches included curiosity, privacy and presence of infection. Important website factors were usefulness, ease of understanding and confidentiality. Practical barriers included difficulty filtering excess information, lack of relevant content and limited awareness of trusted sources. Differences were observed between genders and sexual orientations. The findings have implications for healthcare and/or public health professionals who are responsible for providing online sexual health resources for emerging adults.

Chronic skin conditions can have psychosocial and somatic implications, influencing well-being and quality of life. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesise evidence on the prevalence of comorbid mental health difficulties in 0–25-year-olds with chronic skin conditions. A secondary aim included identifying factors associated with resilience. The narrative synthesis included 45 studies. Four meta-analyses were performed with moderate-high quality studies, one for each outcome: diagnosed mental disorders; mental health symptoms; suicidal behaviour; socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties. The pooled prevalence of diagnosed mental disorders was 1.2% (95% CI = 0.2–6.1); of mental health symptoms was 22.6% (95% CI = 18.9–26.7); of suicidal behaviour was 7.8% (95% CI = 1.4–3.1); of socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties was 20.9% (95% CI = 14.7–28.8). Findings demonstrate the pooled prevalence of comorbid mental health difficulties in youth with chronic skin conditions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with an ‘infodemic’, and young people have reported difficulties dealing with COVID-19-related information. The present cross-sectional study aimed to explore health knowledge related to COVID-19 and accessing relevant information as aspects of health literacy in a cohort of adolescents and young adults residing in Ireland. It also aimed to explore COVID-19-related concerns and levels of compliance with precautionary measures. Data were collected from young people (n = 1009) aged 12–25 years old through an online anonymous survey. Our findings highlight that young people possessed sufficient knowledge about COVID-19 transmission routes and adhered to most precautionary measures. Young people believed that they were moderately likely to contract COVID-19 and highly likely to survive COVID-19 should they get infected. However, these patterns seemed to differ between adolescents and young adults as well as between participants living with and without a chronic health condition (CHC). These findings have implications that can inform knowledge on youth health literacy and health-related attitudes that go beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Contextual factors such as country context, age group, gender, and the absence or presence of a CHC are important characteristics to consider when designing public health awareness campaigns targeting a global health crisis.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) impose burdens on individuals and communities, while their prevalence in young people has risen continually in recent years. Partner notification is an effective public health strategy which can limit STI transmission. Aims: This study aimed to explore young adults’ sexual health behaviours, attitudes toward STI testing, and feelings toward visiting a sexual health clinic. It also aimed to investigate preferences for partner notification and the role of self-efficacy in people’s intentions to notify a partner for STIs including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was applied. Participants were 400 adults aged 18–34 years (M = 23 years; SD = 4.27), recruited from the Republic of Ireland. Results: Over half of the participants reported never being tested for STIs. These young people placed less importance on undergoing regular STI testing and testing after unprotected sex than their counterparts who had been tested for STIs. Self-efficacy was significantly associated with intentions to notify partner(s) for STIs including HIV. Conclusions: As STIs are becoming increasingly prevalent in young adults, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the interventions used to break the transmission chain and how different beliefs and attitudes may affect them. Self-efficacy was a key component in PN intentions, suggesting that the belief in someone’s ability or skillset to perform a sexual health behaviour is positively related to their intention to perform the behaviour.