Adolescents say anxiety and depression are among the biggest problems their peers face. here's why

SALT LAKE CITY – The vast majority of teens – 7 out of 10 – claim that anxiety and depression are major challenges for their peers, in the face of bullying, drug use and consumption. alcohol, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

Juliana Menasce Horowitz, associate director of the Pew Research Center, told Deseret News that concerns about mental health issues were "shared equally between boys and girls and between all income levels". "That they do the experiment themselves – and we did not address that in this survey – they certainly see it in their peers and in their communities."

Anxiety is increasingly attracting the country's attention as a serious mental health problem, often associated with depression. The New York-based Child Mind Institute notes that over the past decade, the number of diagnoses of anxiety disorder in youth has increased by 17%. Up to 30% of children and teens may have difficulty, but only a small percentage of them will seek the help of a professional.

Anxiety is a challenge big enough for the Deseret News to spend a year examining the subject through a series of articles in a project called Generation Vexed. Among other things, the project revealed that girls are more likely to feel stressed and express their anxiety in an easily recognizable way, while boys can shut down or become bellicose and go to the act. Meanwhile, on university campuses across the country, anxiety has surpassed depression as a challenge that students most often face in search of mental health services.

The survey conducted by the Pew Research Center among 920 adolescents aged 13 to 17 was conducted from September 17 to November 25, 2018.

Horowitz said the study was not designed to examine the causes of anxiety and depression in adolescents, although it offers indications. About 60% of teens reported feeling pressure to get good grades, which coincides with the high number of people planning to attend a four-year college – about 68% of girls and half of boys. Horowitz noted that the data suggests that the actual number of college registrations is lower than that, so that "some may not end up doing it." But that's something that's happening. they want to do. "

Boys and girls

The Pew survey revealed other differences between girls and boys, said Nikki Graf, research associate at Pew and co-author of the report released Wednesday.

"Girls are more likely to say that they are very worried about going into the school of their choice and that they feel a lot of pressure to look good." They are more likely to say that They often feel tense and nervous, but also enthusiastic about something they study regularly, and they are more likely to say they never have problems at school. "

Pew found no significant difference between the sexes when it was to lobby for good grades.

Boys are more likely than girls to say that they want to make a lot of money from their work when they are older. But when it comes to job expectations and other factors related to adulthood, they are quite similar, Graf said. Having a job they like and getting married is important for girls and boys in the survey.

The survey also asked a question to parents. Parents and teens were asked if they thought they would spend enough time together. Teen parents said no, they are not together as much as they would like. Low-income youth were more likely to say that they did not have enough time with their parents – 4 out of 10 said this – compared to young people from high-income families, where about 20% had said he did not have enough fellowship, said Graf.

In numbers

Among the highlights of the study:

• Fifty-five percent Among teens, bullying is a major problem, while 10% feel that it is not a problem. Similar figures have been recorded for addiction. Alcohol consumption, poverty, early pregnancy and gangs were still perceived as a less serious problem.
• About 29 percent teenagers feel compelled to look good, with more girls saying it than boys. It breaks down into 35% girls and 23% boys.
• Just over 21% signal pressure to be good at sport or to be involved in extracurricular activities.
• Nearly a third of teenagers They stated that they "felt tense or nervous and wished to have more friends almost every day".
• A quarter of teens report that someone drops them almost daily.

In a companion report, Pew highlighted the differences between teenagers and boys in how they spend their time.

In general, teens sleep more and devote more time to homework than they did a decade ago, while spending less time socializing or working for wages, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data analyzed by Pew from 2003-2006 to 2014-2017. .

The time spent on sports has stabilized at 45 minutes a day over the past 10 years. But other leisure activities take less time for teenagers.

Girls spend a few extra minutes a day shopping or going to the mall and spend more time than boys grooming – about an hour a day, compared to 40 minutes a day for boys.

Girls also spend about 71 minutes a day on homework, compared with an average of 50 minutes for boys during the school year. According to the report, this trend has remained stable for more than ten years, even though time was running out for both boys and girls.

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About 6 out of 10 report having a hug or kiss from their parents almost every day, and 27% say they sometimes have hugs and kisses.

Thirty-one percent receive help or advice from their parents for homework or school projects almost every day, and almost half say it's true at least sometimes. Nearly 20% say they quarrel with their parents almost every day. 40% say that they argue sometimes.

A copy of the Deseret News Anxiety Toolkit, along with helpful expert strategies, is available here.