And an American Psychological Association report found that Gen-Z is more likely to report mental health concerns than any other demographic group. This is no surprise, as Gen-Z has been at the forefront of some of the world's most traumatic events and experiences, from the global pandemic to mass school shootings.
Generation Z (Gen Z) is currently between 10 and 25 years old, born between 1997 and 2012, and research suggests that they are the most anxious generation to date.
Kyle Peppers. A new report shows in 2022, nearly one in three Gen Zers are rating their mental health as “bad.” A nationwide study surveyed more than 1,000 people in the U.S. aged 18-24.
Gen Z (42%) is about twice as likely as Americans over 25 (23%) to battle depression and feelings of hopelessness.
Common Mental Health Issues in Gen Z
Gen Z kids are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts than their older counterparts.
Nine out of ten Gen Z with diagnosed mental health conditions struggle with anxiety, and nearly eight out of ten (78%) are battling depression. Other mental health conditions the generation faces are ADHD (27%), PTSD (20%), and OCD (17%).
'Devastating – economically, socially and much more'
In the short term, Gen Z's stress is leading to ambivalence and withdrawal in their professional lives. According to 2022 data from Gallup, they are the most disengaged group at work. They also report more overall stress and work-related burnout than other cohorts.
Gen Z has been called the 'most depressed generation' with the least positive outlook and diminished emotional and social well-being. They have more unmet social needs than any other generation. The statistics for their behavioural-health issues – mental and substance disorders – are alarming.
#1 - Reflecting and Reevaluating. Many Gen Zs are worried about the future, according to a study by Cigna. In fact, 65% of employees say they have spent increased time evaluating their life priorities compared with two years ago—and this number is higher among Gen Z—at 71%.
One in four Gen Z respondents reported feeling more emotionally distressed (25 percent), almost double the levels reported by millennial and Gen X respondents (13 percent each), and more than triple the levels reported by baby boomer respondents (8 percent).
An elevated level of mental health challenges
90% of Gen Z experienced psychological or physical symptoms as a result of stress in the last year. 70% of Gen Z say that anxiety and depression are significant problems among their peers.
With multiple devices, this generation became used to multitasking and jumping between activities at a high rate. In addition, Gen Z grew up having any information they needed right at their fingertips. This accessibility eventually led to Gen Z individuals developing shorter attention spans.
Generation Z characteristics are interesting and specific; Generation Z features avid gamers and music-goers, and they are known for being ever-present messaging, on the internet, on social networks, and on mobile systems—they are truly the “Digital-ites.” They tend to care about trends, but are also quick to research ...
Gen Z is a generation that has been characterized as having a notoriously short attention span. The average attention span of an individual in this demographic is said to be around 2.7 minutes, which is significantly shorter than the attention spans of previous generations.
Gen Z is significantly more likely (27 percent) than other generations, including millennials (15 percent) and Gen Xers (13 percent), to report their mental health as fair or poor.
Generation Z
They are colloquially known as "zoomers", which surprisingly was not coined after Zoom, the video chat service, but instead is a play on the term 'boomers' and refers to the fast-paced nature of Gen Z's upbringing, amidst the explosion of technology and culture.
18% of Gen Z reported an anxiety disorder diagnosis, and 23% reported they had been diagnosed with depression. 15% of Gen Xers, 14% of Millennials, 12% of Boomers, and 4% of older adults reported being diagnosed with depression.
One of the most common stereotypes surrounding Gen Z is their 'troubling obsession' with technology. While it's true that they are digital natives who have grown up with the internet and smartphones, you could argue that this is a tech evolution rather than a generational obsession.
Recent studies have shown that Generation Z has shown a 56% increase in suicide, anxiety and depression rates, making it the generation's second leading cause of death and revealing that they may be the most at-risk for mental illnesses.
New studies suggest Generation Z is now the loneliest generation, and experts say we're in the middle of a loneliness epidemic. Our generation is statistically experiencing more feelings of isolation, getting married later and having less sex.
It found that, while there are similar rates of happiness across the older three generations, Gen Z is by far the least happy at work. Twenty-six percent of Gen Zers were unhappy in their jobs, and 17% were actively thinking about quitting.
Gen Z has experienced higher poverty rates than millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers, according to the KIDS COUNT Data Center, but Gen Alpha is the poorest generation to date.
Gen Z is very concerned about their ability to communicate and forge strong interpersonal relationships. This may be due to the fact that technology has negatively impacted their cognitive skill development, and they recognize that their social skills, like critical thinking and communication, are weak.
Gen Z's social media habits are making them anxious, too
Social media compounds it all. While there are many benefits to social media, it's a double-edged sword because it can create pressure, insecurity and judgement. It's no surprise Zoomers feel pressure to have a picture-perfect image and life.
Meanwhile, more than half of Gen Zs (54%) told us they liked to shower or take a bath to relax, which studies show activates the vagus nerve and decreases our sympathetic nervous system (known as our fight or flight response) – reducing stress, tension, anger-hostility.