Almost one in three young women in Ireland and over one in five men have experienced elevated symptoms of depression, according to new research from the Growing Up in Ireland study.
The study – carried out by a consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Trinity – has recently carried out research indicating that symptoms of depression are becoming more common among young adults.
The report focuses on over 5,000 young adults who were aged 20 in 2018/19 and who have been followed by the researchers since they were nine years old.
The findings of the report indicate that 30 per cent of young adults in Ireland are above the “normal” range for stress. Some 47 per cent of participants reported that their life satisfaction has worsened between now and when they were previously surveyed at aged 17 and 18.
The majority of those surveyed – 68 per cent – were still living with their parents.
Some 87 per cent of participants had taken part in at least one education or training course since they left school – seven in 10 had taken a higher education course, 17 per cent had taken a post-leaving certificate (PLC) course and 10 per cent had taken another further education course.
Some 86 per cent of 20 year olds who came from a household where parents had degree-level qualifications went on to higher education, compared to 48 per cent of those whose parents had the equivalent of junior certificate qualifications or lower.
Just over half of the participants were in a romantic relationship of some kind at the time of the survey. Most, 84 per cent, had had sexual intercourse, with just over half becoming sexually active between the ages of 17/18 and 20.
Researchers also saw a notable increase in the number of the young adults being classified as overweight or obese. Eighteen percent of participants who were recorded as non-overweight at age nine were reported as overweight or obese at age 20.
Over half of the participants said they typically spent over three hours online per day, with over 20 per cent usually spending five hours or more online. There were noticeable gender differences in terms of what participants used the internet for: young men were more likely to use it for gaming, betting, dating and pornography.
Over a quarter had said they had posted information they later regretted.
The research captures a key phase in the young adults’ lives as they make the transition into post-school education, training, and employment, as well as forming an adult identity and forging new relationships with peers and others.
The timing of the interviews, shortly before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, will be key in understanding the impact of the public health emergency on a wide range of outcomes in the months and years to come, the researchers said.
Dr Desmond O’Mahony, the report’s co-lead author, said in a press statement: “While the majority of 20 year olds report good physical health and enjoy supportive relationships with their parents and peers, today’s young adults face significant future challenges, with a quarter found to be overweight and another 13 per cent obese, a large increase since the previous study wave at 17/18 years.”
O’Mahony added that the proportion of young people experiencing symptoms of depression was “a worrying trend for the mental health of Ireland’s young adults”.
Prof Richard Layte of Trinity’s department of sociology, who chaired the report, added: “The majority of 20-year-olds are thriving and report good physical and mental health as well as supportive relationships from friends and family. However, a worrying development is the significant minority reporting above normal levels of stress and symptoms of depression. The fact that this is more likely among less advantaged young people is also a concern.”
“Similarly, the increase in overweight and obesity among this group may well have long term consequences for health and well-being”, he said.
Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study of children. The study started in 2006 and follows the progress of two groups of children: 8,000 young people born in 1998 and 10,000 children born in 2008.
