Recognising the anxiogenic environment as a driver of youth anxiety.

Abstract

Although anxiety is a common experience, the prevalence of extreme, persistent, and debilitating anxiety has grown among young people in the past two decades. 1 Duffy ME Twenge JM Joiner TE Trends in mood and anxiety symptoms and suicide-related outcomes among US undergraduates, 2007–2018: evidence from two national surveys. J Adolesc Health. 2019; 65: 590-598 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar , 2 Parodi K Holt MK Green JG Porche MV Koenig B Xuan Z Time trends and disparities in anxiety among adolescents, 2012–2018. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022; 57: 127-137 Crossref PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar Severe anxiety is associated with substantial negative impact on everyday functioning and wellbeing and is closely linked with the development of other mental illnesses, such as depression. Anxiety can be driven by a range of societal, financial, and ecological factors (eg, poverty, unemployment or precarious employment, inequality, discrimination), environmental features (eg, housing quality, overcrowding, and pollution), and crises (eg, global pandemics, political turmoil, and conflict), 3 Allen J Balfour R Bell R Marmot M Social determinants of mental health. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2014; 26: 392-407 Crossref PubMed Scopus (475) Google Scholar , 4 Lund C Brooke-Sumner C Baingana F et al. Social determinants of mental disorders and the Sustainable Development Goals: a systematic review of reviews. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018; 5: 357-369 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar , 5 Patel V Saxena S Lund C et al. The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. Lancet. 2018; 392: 1553-1598 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (897) Google Scholar , 6 Martin-Carrasco M Evans-Lacko S Dom G EPA guidance on mental health and economic crises in Europe. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2016; 266: 89-124 Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar many of which disproportionally affect young people. 7 Schmitt MT Branscombe NR Postmes T Garcia A The consequences of perceived discrimination for psychological well-being: a meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 2014; 140: 921-948 Crossref PubMed Scopus (955) Google Scholar , 8 Lemstra M Neudorf C D'Arcy C Kunst A Warren LM Bennett NR A systematic review of depressed mood and anxiety by SES in youth aged 10–15 years. Can J Public Health. 2008; 9: 125-129 Crossref Google Scholar