People born in the 1990s have the worst mental health of any previous generation, and millennials don’t recover as they age, a new study shows.
Researchers at the University of Sydney found there has been a notable deterioration in the mental wellbeing of each successive generation since the 1950s.
The results indicate that mental health problems not only affect younger generations more seriously, but are also impacting each generation that inches toward old age, according to the study published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Sciences.
“To date, much of the focus has been on the deteriorating mental health of school-aged children and adolescents, where we hope their mental health will eventually improve as they enter adulthood. But this study shows that this pattern is changing and that it’s not just children we need to worry about,” lead author Dr. Richard Morris, a senior researcher at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health, said in a statement.
“Not only does our data show a continued decline in the mental health of the current generation of young people, but it continues to affect older generations who are now in their 40s and 50s. “We are not seeing the rebound to young adulthood that previous generations saw as they aged.”
The results indicate that mental health problems not only affect younger generations more seriously, but are also impacting each generation that inches toward old age. Allistair F/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com
The study was launched in an effort to uncover the mystery of why the mental health of Australians has been declining since around 2010, and whether this was an effect only seen in the “post-millennium cohort” or was an indicator of a more permanent situation. worrying trend.
Researchers tracked changes in the mental health of more than 27,500 Australians between 2001 and 2020, assessing each age group over the period.
Younger generations suffer the worst mental deficiencies, according to the study.
And the mental health of people born in the 1990s does not improve as they age, unlike older generations.
Researchers tracked changes in the mental health of more than 27,500 Australians between 2001 and 2020, assessing each age group over the period. Nanzeeba – stock.adobe.com
“Population trends in mental health have been declining in developed countries for many years, especially among young people,” the study states.
“The findings of this study highlight that it is the poorer mental health of Millennials that is driving the apparent decline in mental health at the population level.”
Researchers pointed to social media as a major driver of the country’s deteriorating mental health.
Experts have long denounced social platforms and excessive screen time as a source of increased anxiety, depression and addiction in younger generations, as well as an increase in emotional abuse, toxic relationships and the sexualization of society. youth.
The study also theorized that climate change could be playing a major role in diminishing hopes for younger generations, as well as a general lack of physical activity, lack of sleep, and the changing nature of work.
He was unable to explain how increased community awareness of mental health and decreased stigma may have impacted the survey results.
Although it is unclear how trends will continue as Generation Z and Generation Alpha grow up, researchers at the University of Sydney are not optimistic.
“This represents important evidence that mental health decline among young adults cannot be expected to recover or disappear spontaneously,” they said in a statement.
The research team hopes to use the data as a starting point to better identify the causes that lead young people to suffer mentally and stop the trend before it continues to worsen.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn