Millennials are the most stressed generation, study shows

The news that millennials are the most stressed generation does not come as a surprise to UF students.

Environmental science junior Benjamin Robinson, 21, said it sounds about right, though he doesn’t count himself among the highly stressed.

“I don’t feel an extreme amount of stress usually, but I know others who have it a lot worse than I do,” he said.

The American Psychological Association released last week the results of its annual Stress in America survey, which attempts to measure stress levels and causes of stress in the United States. The survey showed members of the Millennial generation, aged 18 to 33, were more stressed on average than the rest of the population.

Participants were asked to rank their stress levels on a 10-point scale, with 10 being “a great deal of stress.”

Millennials reported an average of 5.4, compared to the national average of 4.9, according to the survey,

The survey also showed millennials had the highest rate of depression diagnoses for any generation: 19 percent, compared to 14 percent in participants ages 34 to 47 and 12 percent for participants ages 48 to 66.

The leading cause of stress for millennials was reported as work, followed closely by money. Relationships, family responsibilities and the economy were also frequently named sources.

GatorWell Health Promotion Services specialist Sara Martin said although many of the major stress factors in the survey are similar to what she hears from students, it did not mention one major factor.

“The biggest stressors I hear from students are academic,” she said. “Sometimes it’s about the workload and learning how to manage time, while sometimes it relates more to internal and external pressures students feel to be successful.”

Martin, who is also a wellness coach, said not all stress is bad, and sometimes it keeps people motivated.

“But it’s important to manage stress levels so they don’t affect daily life,” she said.

Robinson said when he does feel stressed, it’s usually because of work, classes and other commitments competing for his time.

“When that happens, I try to take a step back and put things in order of importance,” he said.

Martin suggested stressed out students take advantage of GatorWell and other on-campus services.

“There are so many good, free resources at UF,” Martin said. “It’s important that students reach out.”