Research shows that young Australian adults are more stressed than older generations. They are also more likely to report mental health concerns than older Australians.
In 2020-21, 15% of Australians aged 16-85 years experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. one in five (20%) Australians aged 16-34 years experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress, more than twice the rate of those aged 65-85 years (9%).
The most time stressed people in Australia are the 35 to 44 age group where almost half report being chronically time stressed. In the 25 to 34 and 45 to 54 age groups, about 42 per cent report being chronically time stressed.
Stress isn't just different across age groups, but by sex as well, and women are more likely to experience higher levels.
In 2020, the ABS GSS was conducted over a 4 month period from 15 June to 5 September 2020. It is estimated that more than half of Australians (59%) experienced at least one personal stressor in the last 12 months. This was similar to the findings from 2019 (56%) and a decrease compared with 2014 (63%).
What age is stress most common? According to the American Psychological Association (APA), people in the 18-33 age group suffer the highest levels of stress in the U.S.
50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 10% of children and young people (aged 5 to 16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem3, yet 0% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
Adults most at risk of experiencing severe emotional stress and post-traumatic stress disorder include those with a history of: Exposure to other traumas, including severe accidents, abuse, assault, combat, or rescue work. Chronic medical illness or psychological disorders.
Millennials report the highest average stress level of all generations overall (5.7 on a scale of 1 to 10). Their stress levels are also high when thinking about the current state of our nation (5.6 on the 1 to 10 scale).
Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can help you manage them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
In their lifetimes, about one in five Australians will experience depression. Around the world, depression affects around 300 million people. Depression is the most commonly experienced mental health challenge for young people aged between 12-25 years old.
Top causes of stress in Australia, Canada and America
Across all three countries, personal finances and the ability to pay the bills were the number one cause of stress, with almost two-thirds of Australians and Canadians and just over half of Americans stressing about bills regularly.
A workplace report by global analytics and advice firm Gallup found in 2022, 48 per cent of Australians reported high levels of stress at work, making them the second most stressed-out workers in the world, alongside New Zealand.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders, affecting 14% of Australians every year. Women are more likely to develop anxiety than men.
3 million Australians are living with anxiety. Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. 1 in 4 people will experience anxiety at some stage in their life.
Support Services. In 2020-21, 16.8% of people aged 16-85 years (3.3 million people) had a 12-month Anxiety disorder: Females were more likely than males to have had a 12-month Anxiety disorder (21.0% compared to 12.4%)
And a survey of 600 individuals found that Gen Z is the most unhappy generation at work. Just 59% of Gen Z workers are happy, compared to 69% for Baby Boomers and 76% for Millennials and Gen X. In addition, 9% of Baby Boomers are unhappy at work, compared to 26% of Gen Z and 13% for Gen X and Millennials.
Gallup Results and Corroborating Research
Among those age 30 to 49, 65% were stressed, 52% worried and 25% angry. Respondents age 50 and above were the least stressed (44%), the least worried (38%) and the least angry (16%). In other words, the results look like age makes people less stressed, worried and angry.
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has little to no memory of a world without the internet, smartphones, and social media. Technology is a substantial part of their life. Being continually connected can also result in self-esteem issues and feeling pressure to conform.
Individuals with a Type A personality generally experience a higher stress level, hate failure, and find it difficult to stop working, even when they have achieved their goals.
The susceptibility to stress varies from person to person. Among the factors that influenced the susceptibility to stress are genetic vulnerability, coping style, type of personality and social support. Not all stress has negative effect.
Depression is about 50% more common among women than among men. Worldwide, more than 10% of pregnant women and women who have just given birth experience depression (2). More than 700 000 people die due to suicide every year.
Adults ages 30 to 44 have the highest rate of anxiety of this age group, with around 23% of people this age reporting an anxiety disorder within the past year.
Introduction. Depression is a global mental health issue that affects individuals to varying degrees across different countries. Some of the most depressed countries include Greece, Spain, Portugal, Palestine, and Tunisia. These countries have depression rates ranging from 6.52% to 5.75%.