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The report found that people in their early 20s were more likely to have missed work due to poor health than those in their early 40s.
The Resolution Foundation said this is “fundamentally different” from the past, when older people were more likely to miss work due to illness.
Official statistics show that poor mental health among young people is on the rise.
This can hinder education, lead to low-wage jobs or unemployment, the report said.
According to the report, by 2023, one in 20 young people (5%) will be economically inactive due to poor health.
The report found that young people now have the poorest mental health of any age group, a reversal from 20 years ago, when they had the lowest rates of common mental disorders.
In 2021/22, 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of a mental disorder such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
In 2000, this number was 24%.
As a result, more than 500,000 18- to 24-year-olds were prescribed antidepressants from 2021 to 2022.
Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said that while mental health in higher education has received increased attention, “the biggest concern is when poor mental health is linked to poor educational outcomes.” ” he said.
“The economic impact of poor mental health is most pronounced for young people who do not attend university, with one in three young non-graduates with common mental disorders currently unemployed,” she said. said.
The study found that young women were worse off, being 1.5 times more likely than young men (41% vs. 26%) to experience poor mental health.
The survey also found that 79% of 18-24 year olds who are ‘out of work’ due to poor health have qualifications below GCSE level.
This represents 34% of the total population in that age group.
The report found that children aged 11 to 14 with poor mental health are three times more likely to fail five GCSEs, including English and maths, than healthy children.
In response to the research findings, the Resolution Foundation, which campaigns for improved living standards for low- and middle-income groups, is calling for greater mental health support at universities and sixth form schools, and measures to prevent poverty among young people. We are calling for further efforts. People complete compulsory education with low qualification levels.
The research was carried out by the Resolution Foundation, with funding from the Health Foundation, a charity that aims to deliver better health and care.
Joe Bibby, director of the Health Foundation, said the “building blocks of health” are things like “good employment and education” and that to stop the creation of a “lost generation” due to poverty, ” “Cross-government action is needed,” he said. mental health.
Many of the findings were based on the Labor Force Survey, which the Office for National Statistics recently discontinued due to declining numbers of participants.
However, the Health Foundation previously said it believed the data was still accurate enough to be analyzed.
