GenZ needs targeted support at eye level
Vienna (OTS) – When it comes to their mental health, Generation Z is more challenged than any other youth generation before: only one in two people (53%) are (very) satisfied with their own mental health. In this age generation, sleep disorders, headaches, depression and fears about the future are most pronounced in Austria. And GenZ makes no secret of it! For Birgit Hladschik-Kermer, head of medical psychology at MedUni Vienna, the survey results of the Austrian Health Report reflect the current reality.
In the recently implemented health study, created on behalf of Sandoz and implemented by IFES, the health status, competence, prevention, etc. of the Austrian population were recorded.
Unstable Psyche. “Young people who are going through puberty are in a particularly vulnerable phase of development,” says psychologist Birgit Hladschik-Kermer. “They now have to find their own identity and are much more affected by current crises such as Corona, war and climate than older people , already stable people.” Satisfaction with mental health increases linearly with age. While a slim majority (53%) of GenZ (16-29 year olds) are (very) satisfied with their mental health, 63 percent of 30-44 year olds, 60 percent of 45-59 year olds and even 80 are Percent of people aged 60 and over are (very) satisfied with it.
35 percent of GenZ had (very) frequently depression and anxiety in the past year (over-60s: 8%), 37 percent of GenZ suffer (very) often from headaches (over 60: 9%), 35 percent (very) often suffer from sleep disorders (over 60: 25%) and 36 percent of young people are (very) often plagued by fears for the future (over 60: 11%).
Psyche is not a taboo topic! What is new is that Generation Z deals with the topic of mental health much more openly than previous generations and is thus contributing to the end of the taboo surrounding mental disorders. “This access should be used and an open atmosphere for discussion created in which young people can discuss their concerns and problems openly and, above all, on an equal footing
“, emphasizes psychologist Hladschik-Kermer. “It’s not about offering hasty solutions, but rather offering appropriate assistance for the respective situation.” It’s important to seize the opportunities and create appropriate offers for the needs of young people in Austria.
With support for more health literacy. „What young people need are suitable framework conditions and targeted support in implementing health-competent measures in everyday life
“, says Hladschik-Kermer. “In addition to a low-threshold support offer that also includes social media, we should, above all, think about prevention.” “It would be desirable if children learned at school what they can do for their mental health!
“, emphasizes Hladschik-Kermer.
Trust ranking: doctor ahead of pharmacist. Austrians’ trust in their family doctor remains high: 77 percent trust their family doctor when it comes to health issues, followed by pharmacists (70%). This trust is somewhat less pronounced in Generation Z: 64 percent trust their family doctor and 57 percent trust their pharmacist.
Around one in ten respondents (11%) across Austria finds it fairly to very difficult to understand what the doctor is telling them. In GenZ, 17 percent have difficulty understanding it. It is significantly more difficult for those surveyed to judge which information about illnesses on the Internet is trustworthy: for 43 percent of those surveyed across Austria, this is fairly to very difficult (GenZ: 41%) “This underlines the relevance of personal conversations or contact persons “We can then discuss whether the information we have retrieved from the internet is also important to us,” says Hladschik-Kermer.
More details: www.austrianhealthreport.at
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