Mentally Healthy is the first major study into the mental health and wellbeing of Australia's media, marketing, and creative industries.
The purpose of the research, conducted by Everymind in partnership with Never Not Creative and UnLtd in 2018, was to bring transparency to mental health issues in these industries and better understand existing attitudes about mental health.
This study has shown that individuals working within these industries are considerably more likely to show mild to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to the national data, with 20% more participants showing symptoms of depression and 29% more showing symptoms of anxiety.
Some other key findings include:
- Job satisfaction was identified as an important factor associated with mental health. Those more satisfied with work were less likely to show symptoms of depression or anxiety.
- Stress was a key contributor that impacted mental health, with 57% showing symptoms of stress and 18% showing signs of severe or extremely severe stress.
- Some of the main work stressors included pressure (from themselves and others), having multiple responsibilities, working long hours, and needing to work when sick.
A summary of the Mentally Healthy study can be accessed below: