Many aspects of life, including poverty and social exclusion, circumstances such as bullying, traumatic events, and conflict and post-conflict experiences, have deleterious impacts on mental-health conditions among youth. In many cases, perpetrators of bullying and violent events also suffer from mental health conditions whereas, traditionally, more emphasis is given to victims. The section concludes with a discussion on the risk factors that contribute to the development of mental-health conditions in youth living in low- and middle-income families. While many of the risk factors associated with mental-health conditions for youth in low- and middle-income families are the same as those in high-income countries, young people in low- and middle-income Families face a particular set of risk factors, such as poor nutrition, lack of resources, poor educational systems, conflict, war and displacement. A variety of risk factors for mental-health conditions is considered next, with a particular focus on bullying, stress, traumatic events, exposure to conflict, and poverty. Evidently, youth may face a number of stressors in the course of their development, and it is often more the accumulation of these risks which portends greatest risk, rather than any one particular experience

Before the coronavirus pandemic, one in five children and adolescents struggled with a mental health or learning disorder. Then the pandemic hit, bringing an upsurge in youth reporting mental health challenges. Though our understanding of the pandemic’s mental health impacts is still evolving, it’s clear thus far that despite the challenges of the pandemic, children and young adults are remarkably resilient and able to cope with the ongoing stress and uncertainty in healthy ways. At the same time, certain identifiable groups of young people are more at risk for negative mental health outcomes.