Under 25s ‘Most Stressed’ Age Group

April 22, 2011 - PRLog -- A new study from leading online therapy and coaching platform Mentaline.com has revealed that young adults under the age of 25 are the ‘most stressed’ age group; with young women being more likely to suffer at the hands of stress than young men.
Conducted by Mentaline.com as part of research into the mental health of Britons, the study polled 1,911 men and women aged 18 and over; asking them questions about their current mental and emotional wellbeing.
Respondents to the study were required to rate, on a scale of one to ten, how stressed they had felt during the past week (one being not at all stressed, ten being extremely stressed). According to the results, those under the age of 25 taking part in the study proved to be the ‘most stressed’ age group; making up 54% of those who rated themselves as eight or above on the stress scale.
Furthermore, of those under the age of 25 who placed themselves as eight or above on the stress scale, the majority, 62%, were female.
The second most stressed age group, according to those who rated themselves as eight or above on the stress scale, were those aged 50 years and over; making up 27% of the category.  
Respondents were further asked to choose, from multiple answers, what aspects of life they felt ‘most stressed’ about within the past week. When taking into account answers from all respondents, the top three aspects causing the most stress to Britons were as follows:  
1)    Financial Situation – 47%
2)    Relationship Problems – 41%
3)    Workplace Problems – 37%
In contrast, the top three factors causing the most stress for those under the age of 25 years old were as follows:
1)    Unemployment – 32%
2)    Exams – 29%
3)    Relationship Problems – 27%
When comparing this to the average answers for those 50 years and over, the top three factors causing the most stress for those over the age of 50 were as follows:
1) Financial Situation – 38%
2) Family matters – 29%
3) Workplace Problems – 27%
Total respondents to the study were asked further questions about the impact of stress upon their everyday lives. Just over two thirds, 67%, of respondents claimed to have felt ‘overwhelmed’ by stress within the past year. However, just one in ten, 9%, claimed to have sought professional help, to help them deal with stress.
Claus Kaaber, CEO of Mentaline.com, commented on the findings:
“Stress is certainly one of the most common mental health problems, triggered by many aspects of everyday life. Given the amount of people we get visiting the Mentaline website in order to seek treatment for common stress disorders, we conducted this research to delve deeper into who exactly was being affected, and what the biggest causes were.”
He continued:
“It was interesting to see that those under the age of 25 rated themselves most highly on the stress chart, as stress problems aren’t always directly linked to this generation. However, when taking into account the most common reasons for stress within this age group it is easily understandable; as the current financial climate has exacerbated problems with employment, which can understandably lead to stress for young jobseekers.”
Kate Harris, life-coach at Mentaline.com, also had the following to say:
“Under 25s are typically in a transition from child to adulthood, and dealing with high expectations from parents and peers in areas such as education, relationships and self image.  Creating futures and personal identities is a huge pressure, and with the current economical climate, young adults are inevitably experiencing more competition, uncertainty and financial burden when it comes to their career.”
ENDS
LINK: http://www.mentaline.com    
For more information, or to arrange interviews, please contact Emma Kent of 10 Yetis Public Relations on 01452 348211 or emmak@10yetis.co.uk.

Editor’s notes

Mentaline.com was founded by Jesper Buch, the millionaire behind online takeaway portal Just-Eat. The site gives users access to webcam based counselling and sessions with therapists, psychologists and life coaches.

The professionals on the site set their own rates and, as such, prices vary, but a typical session averages at about £40-£60 per hour.

Free pre-sessions are also available, lasting between 5 and 15 minutes, to those who would like to try the service before paying for a full session.