Youth mental health improves despite COVID pressure

The mental health and wellbeing of young Australians has dramatically improved, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. The findings come from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods' COVID Impact Monitoring survey, which has examined the effect of the pandemic on Australians for more than two years and across 12 waves of data collection. According to the researchers, the latest survey of more than 3,500 people completed in August 2022 shows Australians aged 18 to 24 are feeling more positive about their lives and their future, and are experiencing less psychological distress. "We found a large and significant turnaround in the number of young Australians who said their lives and wellbeing were improving, especially compared to Australians aged 45 to 64," study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said.  "More than two in three, 67.4 per cent, of young Australians said their life had improved in the last 12 months. This was also the age group with the largest improvement in life satisfaction since our April 2022 survey.  "We also found a five per cent decline in psychological distress among Australians aged 18 to 24. This was the age group reporting the biggest decline in psychological distress."  Professor Biddle said it was important to note that levels of psychological distress were still above pre-pandemic levels, but much lower than what they were in 2020 and when COVID took a hold in Australia.