A new study has found that the pandemic has seriously affected the mental health and relationships of people around the world, especially for young adults.
The Third Annual World Mental State (MSW) Report, commissioned by Sapien Labs, a non-profit research organization, conducted a global survey to better understand the state of mental health.
The survey collected responses from more than 400,000 participants in 64 countries and asked respondents about their family relationships, friendships and general mental well-being.
The study found little recovery from declining mental health during the pandemic, which the group measures by a score called a “mental health quotient.” It had found that the average score had fallen by 33 points over the past two years – on a 300-point scale – and still showed no signs of recovery, remaining at the same level as in 2021.
The study also found that young adults are more likely to have mental health problems than previous generations.
People ages 18 to 24 also had lower “social self,” a measure that measures how an individual perceives themselves and the ability to maintain meaningful relationships. They were also three times more likely to not associate with family members, and reported higher rates of family instability and conflict.
Young adults were also more likely to not have close friends, compared to those age 75 and older, the study reported.
“This pattern, visible even before the pandemic, represents a sharp reversal of patterns documented before 2010, indicating a dramatic decline in mental well-being in each younger generation rather than an increase in well-being as we age. be,” the study said.
According to the research, family relationships are declining worldwide, which can harm a person’s mental health.
People without close friendships and poor family relationships are 10 times more likely to have poor mental health, the study found.
Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist at Sapien Labs, said in a statement: “These data suggest that we have not fully appreciated the profoundly relational nature of the human psyche. As much as we may believe that we are all independent, our well-being is deeply relational. of nature.”
Tanzania, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are countries with the highest mental health scores, while Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and Brazil all have lower mental health rankings .