Lancaster Uni report shows third of young survivors of Manchester Arena bombing 'have not received mental health support'

A report by Lancaster University researchers has been published on the sixth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Three-quarters (75%) of the young people affected by the 2017 terror attack were left with psychological injuries, the Bee the Difference report states.

But 29% have never received any professional support since - and four in 10 say they've never even been offered any.

One survivor of the Manchester Arena bombing was even told to view the attack as "a positive experience", according to the report released today.

While some of the professional help offered by teachers, counsellors and GPs was invaluable to survivors, some of it inadvertently introduced more trauma, research showed.

And some young people felt their experiences were not validated by adults in positions of care, and that their feelings and opinions were dismissed on account of their age.

The Bee The Difference report is a research project designed by and for young survivors of the arena attack in collaboration with UK disaster response charity the National Emergencies Trust and researchers at Lancaster University.

Twenty-two people were murdered and hundreds injured when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his device in the foyer of Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

More than 200 young survivors took part in the research for the report, all of whom were under 18 at the time of the attack, and some of whom were physically injured in the bombing.

The report also revealed that while 93% of young survivors felt they needed support in the aftermath of the attack, 70% received no professional help within the first month and 31% received no professional help within the first year.

The report makes a number of proposals for individuals and institutions to improve support for young survivors of terror.

Their stories show that while some of the professional help offered by teachers, counsellors, GPs and others was incredibly valuable, some of it inadvertently introduced more trauma. In particular, some young people felt their experiences were not validated by adults in positions of care, and that their feelings and opinions were dismissed on account of their age. Survivors said:

“The tutor told me that I should take the attack as a positive experience- that this ‘hardship’ would make me a stronger person. He said not many young people experience hardships nowadays. This felt totally insensitive so I didn’t return.”

“... when I asked for help they brushed me off and put it down to just teenage hormones. To then just put me on antidepressants and that was only at 18 and didn’t even think of referring me to a therapist.”

“I poured my heart out to this random GP who totally dismissed everything I expressed [...] she said I was coping better than she would have been because I was 15 and in the two years it would have taken for her to get me into CAMHS I would then be 17 and probably feeling a lot better at that point.”

Conversely, the report points to some examples of incredible pastoral care in schools where individuals went above and beyond to support young survivors’ new needs. It also highlights the value of care provided by trauma-experienced individuals, including specialist trauma counsellors, as well as fellow survivors.

“My teacher was there for me when I needed to sit out of lessons or talk about what had affected me that day. It was good because she was there for another 2 years of my time at school so acted as a constant support that was semi-permanent rather than a specialist that I could only see once or twice.”

“For the first time I met other survivors, and there was a sort of subliminal understanding - I didn't even have to say what happened to me at Manchester, but I was still greeted with open arms into a new, wonderful, kind safe space, where I was listened to and accepted for who I was.”

The Bee The Difference report proposes six ways that individuals and institutions across the UK could improve outcomes for future young survivors of terror:

Bee visible - Ensure support is visible and readily available the onus is not on survivors to find it

Bee compassionate - Listen to, validate and take proactive steps to accommodate young survivors’ new needs

Bee experienced - Make sure that specialised trauma support is accessible and readily available, wherever survivors are based

Bee flexible - Empower young survivors to choose the right support for them

Bee patient - Remember that recovery isn’t linear and can take time

Bee proactive - Act on young survivors’ experiences to turn their challenges into future change

The UK Government is expected to finalise the draft of a ‘Survivor’s Charter’ in the next few weeks that would guarantee key rights for survivors of terror attacks and is expected to include a guaranteed timeline for mental health support for victims of attacks.

Bee The Difference’s Lead Researcher, Dr Cath Hill, is a Lecturer in Social Work at Lancaster University, co-founder of the support group, Manchester Survivors’ Choir and a member of the National Emergencies Trust’s Survivors Forum.

Dr Hill said: “The findings show that the simple act of validating young people’s views can make a huge difference to their wellbeing, and is something all adults in positions of care could be more mindful of should the worst happen again. Equally, introducing the option of an official survivor status for children’s school or college records could prevent them from having to relive their trauma time and again. I hope individuals and organisations reflect on the findings and think about how they could create change. The Government’s commitment to a Survivor’s charter - if implemented quickly - could really help to speed up access to mental health services, including for young survivors.”

Mhairi Sharp, CEO, National Emergencies Trust, said: “There has been a glaring gap in knowledge about how UK disasters affect children and young people. Bee The Difference offers valuable direction for emergency funders like us and means we can build on the good work that the We Love Manchester fund started in 2017. We can raise awareness with our partners so that there is less onus on future survivors to seek out support. We can also offer funding to those who would like to set up peer support groups.”

The report reveals that young survivors’ recovery is not a linear process and can take many years. Six years after the attack almost one in four (22%) young Manchester survivors continue to receive psychological support today, according to the findings.

Young survivor and co-designer of the research project, Ellie Taylor said: “We never knew how challenging it would be trying to not only find the support but find help that wasn’t more damaging and triggering. This project has given me hope that young survivors will never feel ignored, invalidated, and disregarded ever again. I have met some of the most amazing people and together we are hoping to change history.”

In the coming months, the Bee The Difference project team aims to meet with representatives from government, education, healthcare and the charity sector to discuss ways to act on the research findings.

To download a copy of the Bee The Difference report or visit the National Emergencies Trust’s website 

· The Bee The Difference survey was created by nine young Manchester survivors in collaboration with Dr Cath Hill and the National Emergencies Trust. It was launched in August 2022 and closed for submissions in December 2022. In total, 236 young people (aged under 18 at the time of the attack) participated in the survey, which compiled quantitative and qualitative information. These included those impacted by what happened to a loved one or friend, as well as those who were present at the Arena when the attack happened. 90% of those who took part in the survey were at the Arena, or in the vicinity, when the attack occurred.