Social exclusion and the mental health of young people
This groundbreaking new study reveals the extent to which young people in Australia are socially excluded, and the strong links between social exclusion and poor mental health outcomes such as loneliness and high psychological distress.
Prepared by Orygen in partnership with Mission Australia, the study shows an alarming 60 per cent of the 18,800 people aged 15-19 surveyed in the 2022 Mission Australia Youth Survey had experienced social exclusion in the prior 12 months across the domains of relational difficulties, financial hardships, housing challenges and/or edu-employment issues. These young people showed significantly poorer mental health and wellbeing scores compared to their peers who were not socially excluded.
The results have prompted Orygen and Mission Australia to make a series of recommendations in this study to address social exclusion before its impacts compound and spiral into adulthood.