Depression, anxiety

Every 2nd person under 30 does not feel healthy

GenZ needs targeted support at eye level. Many don't feel healthy.

(Bild: ©tuaindeed - stock.adobe.com)

When it comes to their mental health, Generation Z is challenged like no previous generation of young people: only one in two (53%) is (very) satisfied with their own mental health. In this age generation, sleep disorders, headaches, depression and fears about the future are the most pronounced across Austria.

For the Austrian Health Report, the state of health, health literacy, health care, etc. of the Austrian population were surveyed.

This shows that satisfaction with mental health increases linearly with age. While a small majority (53%) of GenZ (16 to 29-year-olds, i.e. those born in 1995 and 2010) are (very) satisfied with their mental health, 63% of 30 to 44-year-olds, 60% of 45 to 59-year-olds and even 80% of people aged 60 and over are (very) satisfied.

Frequent depression, sleep disorders, headaches
35% of GenZs have (very) frequently experienced depression and anxiety in the past year (over-60s: 8%), 37% of GenZs (very) frequently suffer from headaches (over-60s: 9%), 35% (very) frequently suffer from sleep disorders (over-60s: 25%) and 36% of young people are (very) frequently plagued by fears about the future (over-60s: 11%).

De-tabooing mental disorders
What is new is that Generation Z deals with the topic of mental health much more openly than previous generations and is therefore also contributing to the removal of taboos surrounding mental disorders.

"In addition to a low-threshold support service that also includes social media, we should also think about prevention. It would be desirable for children to learn what they can do for their mental health while they are still at school," emphasizes psychologist Birgit Hladschik-Kermer.