UK Survey: One Third of Workers Under Age 25 Take Sick Days Due to Stress

In the United Kingdom, one in three workers aged 18 to 24 took time off last year due to mental health issues triggered by stress, a survey conducted by Mental Health UK found.

Burnout: The survey polled 2,436 adults working in the UK and found that those under 25 were more likely to take stress-related sick leave than any other age group.

The percentages of those who reported burnout were:

• 35 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds
• 29 percent of those 25 to 34
• 25 percent of those 35 to 44
• 14 percent of those 45 to 54
• 10 percent of those 55 and up

Young workers reported stress due to issues such as working unpaid overtime or working longer hours due to rising living costs.

Only a third of those aged 18 to 24 said they were able to switch off from work when they needed to.

Louise Murphy of the Resolution Foundation, a British think tank, said:

A high and rising proportion of young people have poor mental health. Around a third of 18- to 24-year-olds have what we call a common mental disorder, something like anxiety, depression or bipolar, and that’s having knock-on impacts on their education and the world of work.

Overcome anxiety: Anxiety and other mental issue are affecting the world over and are especially spreading through younger generations. We live in an increasingly stressful world, but there is a way to conquer the worries and pressures of our day.

To understand, read “The Age of Anxiety.”