People born in the 1990s have worse mental health than previous generations of the same age, new research suggests.
Research shows that so-called '90s babies, including the youngest Millennials and the oldest members of Generation Z, also show improved mental health as they age, in contrast to previous generations. He says he can't. study Published on Monday.
Population-level trends in mental health have been declining in developed countries for many years. In the United States, lifetime depression rate The proportion of people who have received treatment for the condition at some point in their lives rose from 19.6% in 2015 to 29% this year, according to a Gallup poll.
But new research raises particular mental health concerns for adults approaching middle age.
Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia tracked the mental health of nearly 30,000 adults from 2001 to 2020. They found that declines in mental health were particularly pronounced among people born in the 1990s and, to a lesser extent, in those born in the 1980s. The oldest Millennial generation. There was little evidence to suggest that the mental health of people born before the 1980s was worse.
This suggests that the declining mental health of the population as a whole is being driven by millennials, the researchers said.
“Much of the focus to date has been on the decline in mental health of school-age children and adolescents, and the expectation is that their mental health will eventually improve as they enter adulthood.” Said Richard Morris, lead author of the research paper, is a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney. “But this study shows that this pattern is changing, and that it's not just children we need to worry about.”
While the latest research focuses on people in Australia, the US is grappling with its own mental health issues. According to one study, nearly one in five adults report being diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives. report The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this in June. The highest rates of depression were between the ages of 18 and 24.
Other studies have also found that younger people are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression than older people.Analysis of federal data conducted by KFF, found that around 50% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 reported suffering from anxiety or depression symptoms this year. For adults overall, that number was about one-third.
So what is behind the decline in young people's mental health?
“That's a very difficult question to answer,” says Nick Grosier, a psychiatrist and researcher at the University of Sydney. “But what we are looking for is a shared experience that perhaps affects all generations…even if it is in different ways, the most affected are These are young people.”
KFF researchers cited pandemic-related school closures, job and income loss, and remote work as reasons for the higher prevalence of mental health conditions among young people. Researchers in the Australian study suggested the growth of social media, lower physical activity levels, poorer sleep habits and climate change as contributing factors.
“Understanding the societal contexts and changes that disparately impact young people may inform efforts to ameliorate this trend and prevent its continuation among emerging populations.” said in their study.
