Environmental and social shifts may be driving global decline in youth mind health: study Premium

A study reveals global declines in youth mental health, urging focus on environmental and social factors beyond individual therapy.

Young adults across the world are experiencing lower levels of mind health compared to older generations within their own countries, according to findings from the Global Mind Health in 2025 report, released last month. ..

The report is part of the Global Mind Project led by neuroscientist Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, non-profit organisation based in the Washington D.C. area, U.S., that aims to understand and enable the human mind. The study has collected responses from nearly three million participants across 84 countries.

Dr. Thiagarajan said the decline in mind health is visible across regions and income levels, suggesting it reflects broader changes in the environment than a country-specific phenomenon.

For instance, younger adults in both high-income countries and lower-income regions consistently report poorer mind health scores compared with older adults within their own societies. Young adults report relatively higher mind health scores in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania, while the lowest scores are seen in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, even though older adults in these same countries score close to the expected level of around 100.

“Younger generations are doing worse relative to older adults in their own countries,” she said. “This is not an India problem or a Europe problem. It is a modern world problem.”

The project defines mind health not simply as happiness, but as the capacity to navigate life’s challenges and function productively. This includes emotional regulation, focus, adaptability, resilience, and the ability to form and maintain relationships.