By Geoff Mcmaster | University of Alberta (originally published, 2020)
The generation as a whole is among the most educated it has ever been, but the path to success is also less clear.
The Harvard Business Review recently released findings from a study regarding mental health in the workplace, revealing a concerning level of anxiety among younger individuals.
In a survey, half of millennials, those aged 24 to 39, indicated that they had left a job at least partially due to mental health concerns. Among Gen Z, aged 18 to 23, this figure rises to 75%, contrasting sharply with just 20% of the general population.
The results of the study, disseminated by the mental health advocacy organization Mind Share Partners, highlight the serious issues of anxiety and depression that plague today’s youth.
At the University of Alberta (U of A), for instance, data on its website suggests that 35% of students will experience a panic attack due to stress at some point, with mental health advisors on campus noting a significant increase in requests for support with anxiety and depression.
According to the 2016 Canadian National College Health Assessment, 65% of post-secondary students reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year, and 13% had contemplated suicide.
Challenging Path
One widely held belief is the “snowflake” hypothesis, which posits that today’s youth have been overly sheltered by helicopter parents, leading to a lack of responsibility and independence that fosters mental resilience.
However, U of A sociologist Lisa Strohschein argues that this perspective underestimates young people’s challenges. She contends that they face tougher circumstances than previous generations, particularly regarding job opportunities.
Strohschein has recently completed a chapter detailing the traits of every living generation for a new sociology textbook titled New Society, scheduled for release next year.
According to her, “Millennials and Gen Z are facing more obstacles in the workforce than earlier generations, and this is adversely impacting their mental health.”
“Millennials experienced the 2008 Great Recession and have had to take jobs that have not led anywhere, a trend that has continued… Being stuck in a dead-end job leads to increased stress.”
“For the last five decades, the expectation has been that each generation will have a better life than the last. This is the first generation where that’s not necessarily true,” she stated.
Strohschein notes that late millennials and Gen Z are also postponing many traditional adulthood milestones that earlier generations took for granted.
“They aren’t becoming homeowners, aren’t entering relationships, and aren’t marrying. Many are living in their parents’ basements. There are numerous factors frustrating their attempts to progress in life.”
“The generation as a whole is among the most educated it has ever been, yet the route to success appears less defined.”
The nature of work itself has become more competitive and stressful, leaving young people with little time to unwind, said Sheena Abar-Iyamu, community social work coordinator with U of A Student Services.
“There’s a lot more time investment required nowadays, and time off to recharge isn’t always available,” she noted, adding that millennials often hesitate to show vulnerability when work pressures threaten their mental health.
Concurrently, millennials and Gen Z are significantly more aware of mental health matters and articulate these issues better than their parents’ generation, according to Sarah Flower, manager of health promotion at U of A’s Human Resource Services. It’s possible that when older generations, such as boomers or Gen X, left jobs in the past, they did not label their experiences as mental health issues.
“This generation is much more in tune with what they require. Individuals will openly discuss their struggles by saying, ‘I have anxiety’ or ‘I’ve been diagnosed with depression.’ They’re very candid about it.”
Mental Illness Stigma Persists
Despite this awareness, stigma surrounding mental health remains. The Mind Share Partners study indicates that while young individuals may recognize their mental health challenges, they are often reluctant to discuss them in the workplace.
“Some young professionals are struggling to manage mental health issues at work for the first time,” said Blessie Mathew, director of the U of A’s Career Centre.
“They worry about how they are perceived and the stigma that may accompany their situation, often neglecting their health until it becomes impossible to manage both their mental health and work simultaneously.”
While today’s adult challenges may be more significant, Flower suspects that a decline in mental resilience may also account for the heightened anxiety levels among youth.
“What I observe in my friends’ children is that their parents have always been there to resolve their problems,” she explained. “When these individuals must face issues independently, they often lack the foundational skills to handle them, leading to panic.”
The last few decades have also seen the rise of the self-esteem movement in education, where students are rewarded for effort rather than performance.
For older generations, Flower remarked, “It was clear who succeeded and who did not. Nowadays, competition is less emphasized.”
“We prevent failure in many instances, yet failure is one of the greatest learning experiences. It teaches you to recover from setbacks and not repeat mistakes.”
Current students tend to react negatively even to constructive feedback, she noted.
“I’ve provided critiques to individuals who then break down in tears. They seem to struggle with saying, ‘That was a tough day, but I’ll recover and move forward tomorrow.’”
For reasons that vary, both millennials and Gen Z seem slow to embrace adulthood with enthusiasm, as noted by Strohschein, along with the independence that was once appealing to teenagers.
“‘Adulting’ has now become a verb, implying a lack of choice in the matter.”
Take driving, for example. Increasingly, young people are choosing not to obtain a driver’s license, having grown accustomed to being driven by their parents.
“For our generation,” Strohschein stated, “acquiring a driver’s license was a significant indicator of independence. Now, record numbers of young people simply do not view this as important.”
A study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute reveals that only 25% of 16-year-olds had a driver’s license in 2014, down from 46% in 1983. By age 19, 69% had licenses in 2014 compared to 87% in 1983.
However, like most generational statements, there are contradictions in this profile, as Strohschein noted that millennials are also known for being open-minded, environmentally aware, and possess a strong belief in their ability to instigate positive change in the world, continuously seeking new experiences.
Impact of Social Media
Social media is another critical contributor to the anxiety faced particularly by Gen Z, according to Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of Generation Me and iGen.
In an Atlantic article titled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” she argues that smartphones have fundamentally transformed social interactions and, by extension, mental health.
She observes that rates of teen depression and suicide have surged since 2011, stating it’s no exaggeration to say that iGen is “on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades, much of which can be attributed to their phones.”
“iGen teens have more leisure time than their Gen X counterparts, not less,” she claims. “So what are they doing with all that time? They’re on their phones, isolated in their rooms, and often feeling distressed.”
Twenge cites a survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicating that teens who average more than four hours of screen media exposure daily in the U.S. and three hours in Canada are more likely to report unhappiness. Conversely, those spending less time on screens tend to report higher happiness levels.
“Youth are far more connected to individuals outside of Canada and their local communities, often virtually,” Strohschein stated. “The downside is that social isolation in local environments can result.”
This isolation may significantly hinder their social confidence, she added.
“In my mental illness class, I ask students to facilitate discussions in groups. Each week, one group leads the class, and their anxiety about speaking in front of the class has escalated with each passing year.”
Ultimately, both generations may adapt well, with the disproportionate levels of anxiety perhaps simply reflecting the inevitable symptoms of dramatic cultural and technological change.
“They represent a very creative generation that doesn’t accept ‘no’ easily, which offers a lot of potential for the future,” Flower concluded. “The challenge lies in creating a robust mental health framework so they can thrive in the interim.”
