Generation Z and Mental Health
The legal professional is taking mental health concerns seriously. As law schools prepare to welcome more and more students from Generation Z, educators and administrators will need to understand the mental health needs of this newest cohort of students. Three recent studies address this issue. Highlights from these studies show that:
- Generation Z youth are concerned about gun violence, especially mass shootings and school shootings.
- Compared with Millennials and Gen Xers, Generation Z is more likely to report mental health problems and to seek help. 37% report having received mental health treatment, a higher percentage than any other generation.
- Work, money and health-related concerns are sources of stress for Generation Z.
- 70% of Generation Z see anxiety and depression as a major problem for their peers.
- Compared with all other generations, Generation Z are the loneliest. Feelings of loneliness are connected with poor physical health, sleep patterns, and amount of face-to-face contact with others. Social media use was not correlated with loneliness.
The three studies are:
- American Psychological Association, Stress in America™ Generation Z (October 2018), available at https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress
- Juliana Menasce Horowitz & Nikki Graf, Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers (Pew Research Center, February 20, 2019), available at https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/02/20/most-u-s-teens-see-anxiety-and-depression-as-a-major-problem-among-their-peers/
- Cigna & Ipsos, Cigna U.S. Loneliness Index (2018), available at https://www.cigna.com/assets/docs/newsroom/loneliness-survey-2018-fact-sheet.pdf
