Gen Z adults and younger millennials are completely overwhelmed by stress

When Hannah graduated from college in 2019, her future looked bright: Shed landed a media internship, moved to New York, and joined a theater group where she quickly found a community.

But a few months later, the CovidThe -19 pandemic has struck. Then, in early 2023, her relationship ended, she was laid off, and anxiety set in. Now 26 and back studying social work, Hannah doesn’t feel young or carefree.

Not knowing what your future will look like in a world where no one knows what the collective future will look like is overwhelming to say the least, said Hannah, whose name has been changed to protect her future employment prospects.

Young American adults like Hannah report higher levels of stress than older generations, with 18- to 34-year-olds reporting their average stress level is 6 out of 10, compared to 3.4 among those aged 65 and older , APA 2023 Stress in America, a survey found. Last year, this younger cohort reported their average stress was 5.8.

Some stressors are quite common during this life transition, career decisions, finances, planning for the future, but I think something is different about what 20 to 30 year olds face in this moment, said Chelsea Dudley, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Coastal Therapy. Group in Carlsbad, California, where she specializes in working with adolescents and young adults. She cited inflation, unequal access to health care and the consequences of Covid as aggravating factors.

Indeed, research shows that older people tend to handle stress better than younger people, especially if they are able to give back in some way, said Cecilia Poon, PhD, ABPP, director of internship training in the Department of Psychology at Nebraska Medicines and a certified geropsychologist.

That’s not to say that older generations aren’t stressed or that the 65-and-over crew is a monolith, she added. Sixty-year-olds from the baby boom generation don’t face exactly the same stress as those in previous generations, Poon said. And older adults of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, those in rural America, and those who identify as LGBTQA+ all face different types and intensities of stressors.

What are their experiences as they juggle their identities, health care needs, and moving their children? said Poon, who also serves on the executive committee of APA Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging). And what about elderly people traumatized by war? They are reliving a lot at the moment with all the local and international conflicts.