The study of more than 6600 Australian teenagers and published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, is the largest of its kind and provides new insights into Australian adolescents’ mental health.

Researchers surveyed teenagers’ multiple times from Years 7 to 10, allowing them to track how mental health symptoms developed over time.

Lead author Dr Scarlett Smout, a postdoctoral research associate at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, says that mental health symptoms are alarmingly common and increased as teenagers aged.

“By Year 10, nearly three-in-ten teens in this sample had probable major depression, almost one-in-four reported high mental distress and nearly one-in-four had moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms,” Smout says.

“We were very concerned to find that mental health symptoms were so widespread in this large cohort of Aussie teens.

“While our sample wasn’t representative, it provides further evidence that current generations of teenagers are suffering more than those before them.”

Co-author Dr Katrina Champion, a senior research fellow from the Matilda Centre, says that knowing which groups were most at risk was vital to help inform what support and programs were offered. 

“Compared to males, females and gender diverse teens [young people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth] experienced greater symptoms of distress, anxiety and depression, especially those from less affluent backgrounds.

“More work needs to be done directly with teenagers in these vulnerable groups to develop tailored mental health prevention and support programs,” Champion says.

CEO of Public Health Association of Australia, Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, says that more also needs to be done to understand what is driving poor mental health amongst teens and how good mental health can be protected and promoted.

“Adolescent mental health is a hugely concerning and growing public health issue,” Slevin says.

“The teenage years are a foundational time in our children’s lives, setting up their mental wellbeing for the future.

Slevin says the study shows that mental health symptoms in the nation’s current younger generation are disturbingly common, deteriorate over time and are affecting some of the more vulnerable segments of the community.

“We need more research to better understand what’s driving these trends, as well as how we can invest in prevention to protect the mental health of teenagers,” he suggests.

In recognition of growing concerns about mental health as a public health issue, the Public Health Association of Australia is running a new three-day Mental Health Prevention and Promotion conference in March 2026 in Parramatta.

The inaugural event will bring together experts to understand and discuss how mental health conditions, particularly in young people, can be better understood and prevented.

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