Sleeping problems and mental health issues increasing among young people
| klacht | 2022 (%) | 2021 (%) | 2020 (%) | 2019 (%) | 2018 (%) | 2017 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeping problems | 22.3 | 19.4 | 18.1 | 14.4 | 14.0 | 14.2 |
| Affected by sleeping problems | 10.8 | 9.7 | 7.3 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Mental health issues (MHI-5) | 16.2 | 18.0 | 10.9 | 10.7 | 9.7 | 8.3 |
| Depression | 12.4 | 10.1 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 8.1 | 5.4 |
| Contact psychologist/ psychiatrist/ psychotherapist | 14.1 | 13.5 | 11.1 | 12.9 | 12.1 | 10.7 |
Although twice as many young people said they were having mental health issues, a depression or sleeping problems, the share of young people who had contact with a mental health provider rose less sharply: from 11 percent in 2017 to 14 percent in 2022.
1 in 4 young adults has sleeping problems
Among 12 to 17-year-olds, a total of 20 percent of girls and 14 percent of boys had sleeping problems in 2022, while ten percent of the girls in this age group said that sleep deprivation had a considerable, high or very high impact on their mental health, relative to 5 percent of boys. Over 1 in 4 young adults (26 percent) aged 18 to 24 reported having sleeping problems and 13 percent said they were affected by this. There were no statistically significant differences in this respect between men and women.
| geslacht | klacht | 12 to 17 yrs (%) | 18 to 24 yrs (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Affected by sleep deprivation | 7.31 | 13.43 | 10.77 |
| Total | Sleeping problems | 17.04 | 26.26 | 22.25 |
| Female | Affected by sleep deprivation | 9.6 | 15.3 | 12.9 |
| Female | Sleeping problems | 20.1 | 27.6 | 24.4 |
| Male | Affected by sleep deprivation | 5.2 | 11.5 | 8.7 |
| Male | Sleeping problems | 14.3 | 24.9 | 20.2 |
More mental health complaints in women than in men
In 2022, the share of young adults aged 18 to 24 with mental health issues was higher than that of those aged 12 to 17 (20 and 11 percent, respectively). In the latter age group, 15 percent had suffered from mental health problems in the past four weeks, relative to 8 percent of boys. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, twice as many women as men reported this: 27 versus 13 percent in 2022.| geslacht | 12 to 17 yrs (%) | 18 to 24 yrs (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 8.0 | 13.3 | 11.0 |
| Female | 14.5 | 26.8 | 21.6 |
| Total | 11.1 | 20.1 | 16.2 |
17 percent of young adults reported depression
In 2022, 6 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds answered ‘yes’ to the question: Did you suffer from depression in the past twelve months? There was no statistical difference between boys and girls. Seventeen percent of 18 to 24-year-olds answered ‘yes’ to this question. There was no statistical difference between men and women either.| geslacht | 12 to 17 yrs (%) | 18 to 24 yrs (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 4.8 | 15.7 | 10.8 |
| Female | 7.8 | 18.7 | 14.0 |
| Total | 6.2 | 17.2 | 12.4 |
Women more likely to seek assistance than men
In 2022, twice as many girls (14 percent) as boys (7 percent) aged 12 to 17 said they had had contact with a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist in the past 12 months.In the group aged 18 to 24, the share seeking help stood at 21 percent in women and 14 percent in men.
Sources
- Publication - Annual Report Youth Monitor 2023 Summary
- StatLine - Health and health care; personal characteristics
Related items
- Website - National Youth Monitor website