Young adults in the United States suffer from anxiety and depression at twice the rate of adolescents, and more than half say their lives lack meaning or purpose, according to a new report from Harvard University.
The report, titled “On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Mental Health Problems in Young Adults,” was released Tuesday by the Making Caring Common project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
It is based on a national survey conducted by researchers in December 2022, with responses from 709 young adults aged 18 to 25, nearly 400 adolescents between 14 and 17, and nearly 750 parents and guardians.
Calling the findings on the emotional difficulties of young Gen Z adults alarming, the researchers said 29% of them reported suffering from depression, compared to 15% of adolescents; 36% of young adults reported feeling anxious, compared to 18% of adolescents.
In the survey, 58% of young adults reported feeling little or no purpose or meaning in their lives in the past month. More than half said financial worries and pressure to succeed negatively affect their mental health.
Researchers also found that loneliness and “feeling like you don’t matter to others” were factors in more than a third of young adults surveyed.
The report’s lead author, Richard Weissbourd, said the survey found higher rates of depression and anxiety among black and Hispanic young adults and in under-resourced communities than among white and Asian young adults. .
“[For] young people from low-income communities who face classism, racism or lack of opportunities who are cut off from health care, high-quality schools, lack of meaning and purpose are high in these communities because people struggle with these things.
“I think what happens in wealthy communities can be very different,” he said. “I think it can be a kind of single, narrow focus on selective colleges, on high-level internships. Those things can lead to a loss of meaning and purpose.”
The survey also looked at the impact of broader societal and global issues on the mental health of young adults. The study found that almost half of those surveyed said they had a “general feeling that things are falling apart.” About a third or more reported that gun violence in schools, climate change and corruption or incompetence of political leaders had a negative impact on their mental health.
“I think there’s this feeling that things are getting out of control,” Weissbourd said. “And young adults express, what was hopeful, a lot of confidence in each other to combat some of the problems, the pressing problems that this country is facing. They express a lot less confidence in older adults to achieve it.”
Dr. Christine Crawford, an adult, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center, said the report’s findings match what she sees in her practice.
“This period of transition [to adulthood] has always been the same, but young people 1698270627 “are constantly inundated with messages about what’s happening to the world, to the environment, and that further fuels some of the mood-related symptoms they’re experiencing,” she said.
She added that increased anxiety among parents and the trend in recent decades toward an “all hands on deck, micromanaging” style of parenting have led to young people not being as well prepared to enter the adulthood.
Crawford said she serves on an external advisory committee, made up of health care providers and others, that Harvard’s Making Caring Common project consults with once a year for observed trends. She was not involved in the report or any other project research.
Weissbourd stressed that the findings should not allay concerns about the mental health of young adolescents. The survey found significant rates of depression and anxiety among adolescents aged 14 to 17. But this age group has been studied extensively and has been at the center of public conversations, particularly during the pandemic.
Despite these worrying results, there is reason for hope, Weissbourd said.
“The positive side is that adolescents and young adults are perhaps more psychologically aware and articulate than any generation in history, and more open when it comes to talking about their problems emotional,” he said. “For decades, people have suffered silently and terribly with depression and anxiety, and this is the generation that is talking about it.”
According to the report, building connections can help young people overcome mental health problems. Young adults reported finding meaning in strong relationships. 40% said they grew closer to one of their parents during the pandemic and through serving others.
Weissbourd said he hoped the report would refocus attention on young adults as a “precarious” stage of development and the different ways universities, employers and others can engage and provide support to young adults. .
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