The Youth Mental Health Scene in Ireland:
What can the My World Survey tell us?
Dr. Barbara Dooley1,2 & Dr. Amanda Fitzgerald1 - University College Dublin1
& Headstrong- The National Centre for Youth Mental Health2
The My World Survey (MWS) is the first national study of youth mental health in Ireland, looking at both risk
and protective factors in young people aged 12-25 years. The MWS has established a national youth mental
health database in Ireland. This database is intended to inform policy, allow us to measure the impact of
innovative services, such as Headstrong’s Jigsaw initiative and provide a baseline for youth mental health.
Two versions of the MWS were devised, one for adolescents attending Second Level schools in Ireland
(MWS-SL) and a second survey devised for young adults who are Post-Second Level education (MWS-PSL).
For the MWS-SL, 72 post-primary schools were randomly selected and 6,085 students completed the survey,
with an average age 14.92 years. Over half (51%) of the sample were female. In the MWS-PSL, 8,221 young
people completed the survey with a mean age of 23.5 years, and 65% female.
This summary identifies risk and protective factors of mental health that have relevance for youth work
practice. This includes data in relation to distress levels, alcohol, the effect of bullying on young people,
suicidal behaviour, the importance of talking and the role of a ‘One Good Adult’ in a young person’s life.
These are important considerations that can inform youth work practitioners when working with young
people today.
Key learning points relevant to youth work practice
When working with young people it is important to recognize that the number one health issue for them is
mental health.
Key risks are:
•
Levels of distress increase through the teen years and peak in early adulthood.
•
There are significant links between risky alcohol behaviour and mental health problems such as
depression, stress and anxiety
•
Bullying negatively impacts on the mental health of young people, and reduces protective factors
associated with mental well-being.
•
Financial stress in young people is linked to elevated distress, self-harm and suicide.
•
Risk taking behaviour is linked to self-harm and suicide attempt.
Key protective factors:
•
Low risk alcohol behaviour is related to better mental health outcomes.
•
Talking about problems is associated with better mental health outcomes.
•
One Good Adult in a young person’s life is a significant protective factor in a young person’s
wellbeing - This last point is particularly relevant to youth workers and it is worth noting that
research with young people in Ireland has confirmed that having at least one caring adult in a young
person’s life can act as a buffer against distress and lead to positive psychological functioning.
MWS provides an evidence base to support key youth work practices. For a youth work practitioner,
engaging with young people and being that supportive adult, and encouraging young people to talk, in
particular males, is key to unlocking some of the distress that young people in Ireland today are experiencing.
Promoting mental health awareness is key to healthy living in this age group and reducing stigma.
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About 70% of health problems and most mortality among the young arise as a result of mental health
difficulties and substance-use disorders. Almost 75% of all serious mental health difficulties first emerge
between the ages of 15 and 25 (Kessler et al., 2005).
Risk factors for both versions of the survey were depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol behaviour, and
substance misuse. In the older sample, some additional risk factors assessed included suicidal behaviour and
gambling. Protective factors for both versions of the survey included self-esteem, optimism, life satisfaction,
how young people cope with their problems, help-seeking and social support.
Depression, Stress and Anxiety
In the younger sample (MWS-SL), we found that 30% fell outside of the normal range for depression. This
percentage increased to 40% for those in the young adult sample (MWS-PSL). This finding reflects the
increase in levels of depression that tend to occur through adolescence and into early adult life. Similar
trends were observed for anxiety and stress (See Table 1). In line with international research, females report
higher levels of distress than males (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2001).
Table 1. Categories of distress for both MWS-SL and MWS-PSL
MWS-SL
MWS-PSL
70
11
11
4
4
60
12
14
6
8
Normal
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Very Severe
68
7
14
4
7
62
9
15
5
9
Stress
Normal
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Very Severe
81
7
7
3
2
70
10
10
7
3
Depression
Normal
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Very Severe
Anxiety
Alcohol Behaviour
In the adolescent sample (MWS-SL), 79% were classified as within the low risk range for alcohol problems.
However, despite only 6.7% of students being 18 years or older, 21% of the sample was engaging in alcohol
behaviour that poses a potential risk to them and their mental health. Looking at the young adult sample
(MWS-PSL), only 39% were found to fall within the low risk range, indicating worrying levels of risky alcohol
behaviour in Irish young adults today. Both versions of the MWS found significant links between risky alcohol
behaviour and mental health problems such as depression, stress and anxiety.
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Table 2. Categories of alcohol behaviour for both MWS-SL and MWS-PSL
Classification
MWS-SL
MWS-PSL
Low risk drinking
79%
39%
Problem drinking
14%
41%
Hazardous drinking
3%
10%
Possible alcohol dependence
3%
10%
Bullying among adolescents (MWS-SL)
Of the 6,085 adolescents who completed the MWS-SL, 45% reported to have been bullied at some point, this
percentage was higher for girls (49%) than boys (40%). Nearly 80% of second level students sampled said
they had witnessed bullying at some point. Only 59% of adolescents who reported being bullied fell within
the normal range for depression compared to 79% of those not bullied (a gap of 20%). 13% of young people
bullied had severe or very severe depression compared to 4% of those never bullied. The trends we see for
depression and bullying were also seen for anxiety and stress. Thus, the distress of young people who have
been bullied at some point are significantly elevated when compared to young people who have never
experienced bullying. This demonstrates the clear link between being bullied and mental health in
adolescence and these patterns are similar for males and females.
Conversely, young people who were never been bullied reported higher levels of satisfaction with life, higher
levels of optimism and higher self-esteem.
Suicidal behaviours in young adult sample (MWS-PSL)
In the MWS-PSL, a high percentage of young people (43%) thought that their life was not worth living at
some point. The majority of who thought about this within the past year (approximately 2,000 young
people). More than a fifth of young people in the study (21%) reported that they had self-harmed without
wanting to take their own life, with two-thirds reporting this within the past year. The rate of suicide
attempt was 7% (approximately 500 young people) and this is comparable to that seen in Australia among
15-24 year olds (6.9%). Of these 500 young people who had attempted suicide, 36% (180 young people)
reported that they had made a suicide attempt within the past year.
With increasing levels of depression there is a significant likelihood that a young person would have either
deliberately self-harmed or made a suicide attempt in the past. The data showed that 47% of young people
with very severe depression reported having deliberately self-harmed. This group of young people was also
found to report an attempted suicide rate of 27%. These rates would be considerably above both national
and international average rates.
The MWS-PSL clearly demonstrates the positive role that talking plays in a young person’s life. We see that
the attempted suicide rate is 10% for those who do not talk about their problems, whereas, the rate for
those who talk about their problems is 6%.
Females (24%) were more likely to have reported self-harm than males (17%). Internationally, rates of selfharm are higher in females than males. Females were also more likely to have attempted suicide, where 8%
of females reported attempted suicide compared to 6% for males.
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Risk-taking behaviour, alcohol use, substance use and acting out among young people were also linked to
increased risk for self-harm and suicide attempt. Having been bullied was linked to an increased risk for selfharm and suicide attempt.
A high degree of financial stress was closely linked to self-harm and suicide attempt. We see that 60% of
young people in our MWS-PSL reported being highly or often stressed by their financial situation. These
findings are particularly relevant in the current economic climate and for those working with young people
in practice.
Talking about problems means better mental health.
The MWS shows clearly that when young people talk about their problems they have lower rates of mental
health distress and are more positive in their outlook.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) reported that they would talk to someone if they had a problem. This was the same
for both adolescents and young adults. However, over one-third of young people do not talk or seek
informal help when they have problems. A lower percentage of males are likely to talk (57%) compared to
females (69%), indicating the need to encourage young men to express how they are feeling about their
emotional wellbeing.
These findings underpin the need for strong supports, open lines of communication and above all, the need
to be ready to be that one good adult.
Protective role of ‘One Good Adult’
The current literature shows that having at least one caring adult in a young person’s life can act as a buffer
against distress and lead to positive psychological functioning (Bogard, 2005; Sterrett et al., 2011). Therefore,
a key question young people were asked in the MWS was to what extent they have a special adult in their
life who is around when they are in need. This is what we have called the ‘One Good Adult’ (OGA).
Nearly 15,000 young people responded to this question. The majority indicated the presence of OGA in their
lives. In the adolescent sample (12-17 years), 71% reported high or very high support from OGA while 16%
reported low or very low support. Similarly, in the young adult sample (17-25 years) 72% reported high or
very high support and 18% low or very low support.
When looking at gender, females were more likely to report high support from OGA compared to males
(76% versus 64%). Our findings clearly show that there is a strong relationship between OGA and depression,
anxiety and stress. For example, 13% of those who reported low support from a special adult had very
severe levels of depression, whereas, when support was high from a special adult, only 5% reported very
severe levels of depression which is significantly lower. In the MWS-SL, the support from OGA was also
found to be linked to acting out behaviour in school. When support was low, there was an increase in
behaviours such as cheating in an exam, skipping class, being kicked out of class by a teacher. More
positively, having an OGA in a young person’s life was related to lower levels of alcohol risk and higher selfesteem.
References
Bogard, K. L. (2005). Affluent adolescents, depression and drug use: The role of adults in their lives.
Adolescence, 40, 281-306.
Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence
and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives
of General Psychiatry, 62, 593-602.
McGorry, P. (2005). ‘Every me and every you’: responding to the hidden
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challenge of mental illness in Australia. Australian Psychology , 13 (1), 3-15.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001). Gender differences in depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science,
10, 173-176.
Sterrett, E.M., Jones, D.J., McKee, L.G., & Kincaid, C. (2011). Supportive non-parental adults and adolescent
psychosocial functioning: using social support as a theoretical framework. Journal of American, Journal of
Community Psychology, 48, 284–295.
Further information on the My World Survey can be found here
http://www.headstrong.ie/content/myworld. Information on Headstrong’s Jigsaw Programme and
Headstrong- The National Centre for Youth Mental Health can be found at www.jigsaw.ie and
www.headstrong.ie.
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