Mental Stress in Everyday Life on the Rise Among Youth

Young Austrians are increasingly under psychological pressure according to the latest surveys. Against this backdrop, the Austrian League for Child and Youth Health (Kinderliga) and the Federal Youth Representation (BJV) presented the results of a dialogue project on Thursday, during which 12 to 25-year-olds expressed their needs regarding mental health.

"Huge Pressure to be Perfect"

"Half of all young people are under a huge pressure to be perfect, experiencing stress in their daily lives, at school, but also in the family," explained Kinderliga Vice President Hedwig Wölfl. In the "Mental Health Days Study" 2024, 28 percent reported having had suicidal thoughts at some point. 68 percent felt melancholic, hopeless, or downcast on a day shortly before the survey.

In the TOPSY-Youth project, over 50 young people engaged in discussions with health experts and politicians during three sessions in May and June 2025. Prior to this, the organizers conducted focus groups according to their own statements and evaluated current studies on the mental health of young people.

The Covid pandemic has intensified the development, but even before that, a quarter of young people were affected by mental disorders. In addition to the pressure to be perfect and performance pressure, the multitude of crises also weighs heavily. In the Ö3 Youth Study 2025, 82 percent expressed concern about wars, 75 percent about terrorism, and 58 percent about the climate.

Focus on Apprentices

For health scientist Rosemarie Felder-Puig, the mental health of apprentices is particularly concerning. The apprentice health study, conducted every four years, recently showed that 72 percent of female and 79 percent of male apprentices rate their mental health as very good or excellent. "That is extremely low for this age group."

Contact Points, School Psychologists, Preventive Talks

The Children's League and BJV want more insurance-covered psychosocial contact points, an increase in school psychologists, more support during initial contact, and regular preventive talks. The dialogues have shown that young people often feel left alone with their problems or have to wait too long for help.

According to Wölfl, young people themselves notice that they often spend their free time isolated in front of screens. Regarding the internet, "all young people had similar experiences" during the dialogue events, says Paula Schwentner from the project management of TOPSY Youth, such as pressure to compare, addiction potential, and misinformation. Therefore, the Children's League and BJV want to promote media literacy in schools. The young people also insisted on this - however, they rejected internet bans.

(APA/Red)

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