Psychological distress in young people in Australia

Mission Australia has published a research report titled “Psychological distress in young people in Australia: Fifth Biennial Youth Mental Health Report 2012 - 2020.” The report uses data from the annual Mission Australia “Youth Survey”, which was conducted between April and August 2020, when covid-19 had first emerged and the first lockdowns occurred. The report found that there has been a steady increase in young people reporting psychological distress between 2012 and 2020. In 2012, 18.6% of respondents reported psychological distress. This has increased to 26.6% of young people in the 2020 survey. The highest rates of psychological distress was in young people who identified as female or non-binary, comapred to young people who identified as male. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people reported higher levels of distress than non-indigenous people reported, and young people with disabilities reported higher rates than those who don’t have disabilities. Young people reported being scared or anxious to seek help, with friends, family and the internet being the primary sources of help that young people would turn to.

Go to “Psychological distress in young people in Australia: Fifth Biennial Youth Mental Health Report 2012 - 2020.”