Young adults experiencing more psychological distress, survey finds

Research from University College London has discovered there has been a severe rise in the number of young people who are experiencing feelings of intense distress.  

The research, which was published yesterday, found one in five 18-24 year-olds said they experienced severe distress at the end of 2022, compared to around one in seven in 2021.

Although the exact cause remains unknown, experts believe this spike could be due to the pandemic, cost-of-living and the healthcare crisis.

Dr Leonie Brose, from King’s, said: ‘The last three years have seen an unprecedented series of events that can be seen to be contributing to a worsening in people’s mental health – a pandemic, a cost of living crisis, and a healthcare crisis.

‘Our study shows that England’s wellbeing is steadily getting worse. What’s required now is a strategy that puts equality, wellbeing and sustainability at the heart of society’s response.’

To achieve results, researchers, including academics from Kings College London and University College London (UCL), used a point-based score system during monthly telephone interviews to assess severe distress levels. The survey was conducted between April 2020 and December 2022 and involved 51,800 adults in total.

Each month, a new group of adults were asked how often in the last 30 days they had experienced a number of negative feelings such as worthlessness or hopelessness, feeling nervous or feeling so depressed nothing could cheer them up.

Following this, participants were asked to rate their feelings on a five-point scale, with higher scores placing them in the severe category.

Overall, the proportion of people reporting severe distress increased from 5.7% to 8.3%, with some groups affected more than others, including participants from low-income backgrounds.

Meanwhile, the proportion of adults reporting any distress was about a third during this time – it dipped to 28% in May 2021 and rose back to 32% by the end of that year.

Prof Sir Simon Wessely, at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King’s College London, said: ‘The strength of this study is that it is large, population based, and can look at trends over time.

‘Overall it suggests that what one might call normal feelings of distress, unhappiness or anxiety that probably do not require or indeed receive professional help have not changed much in recent years.

‘But there has been a definite increase in more severe levels of distress, some of which may reach what we call ‘clinical’ levels, in which some form of assessment, most likely in primary care, might be indicated.

‘Of particular concern is that this is seen most in young people, confirmed by other studies.’

Image: Francisco Moreno