What This Means
This research suggests that young adults (ages 18–30) in Poland during 2023–2024 fell into five distinct groups based on their combinations of anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, and worry about societal crises such as the COVID-19 aftermath, the war in Ukraine, economic problems, climate change, and AI growth. The largest group (about 30%) reported mild concern with overall contentment, while over 40% of young people fell into profiles marked by high distress. Notably, about one in four young adults was highly worried about crises but still reported good life satisfaction — suggesting that concern about the world does not necessarily translate into poor personal well-being.
This research suggests that mental health profiles were largely stable over the 14-month study period, meaning that most young people stayed in the same emotional category across three measurement points rather than improving or worsening substantially. However, some individuals did transition between profiles, and certain factors made adaptive change more likely: having good social support, feeling connected to one's community and place, and not avoiding close relationships all helped people move toward better mental health profiles. On the other hand, difficulty managing emotions and anxious attachment to others made it more likely that someone would remain in or move into a highly distressed profile.
This research suggests that community engagement and a sense of belonging to a place may play a special role in helping young people stay well even when they are deeply concerned about societal problems. Practically, these findings point toward the value of programs that build emotion regulation skills, strengthen social connections, and foster community ties as ways to support young people navigating an era of multiple overlapping crises — sometimes called a 'polycrisis.' Rather than treating mental health as a single dimension, recognizing that people can be simultaneously worried and satisfied may help in tailoring support to different groups.