A comprehensive international study examining psychological wellness among digitally connected populations has revealed contrasting outcomes across Malaysia’s age groups.
Seniors were found to outperform many of their global peers, while younger residents face significantly greater challenges.
The 2024 Mental State of the World report, developed through Sapien Labs’ Global Mind Project, evaluates how people interact with daily life and manage pressures through a standardised assessment tool.
Older age group meets healthy function threshold
In Malaysia, average results for people aged 55 and above exceeded 110, a level tied to steady functioning and effective stress handling.
Nations with comparable performance for this demographic include the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Mexico.
Younger generation sees widespread daily impacts
In contrast, those between 18 and 34 years old fell into a lower range of 30 to 40.
This positions Malaysia among nations where younger cohorts grapple with more significant difficulties than their elders, a trend mirrored worldwide, according to the report.
Across 79 countries surveyed, the same age group averaged 38, with nearly half identified as facing substantial daily disruptions due to multiple symptoms.
The report characterises this as a consistent global pattern, where “older adults tend to be doing relatively well, while younger generations face declining mental health and functioning, differing mainly in the degree of decline in each country.”
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Tech, social and environmental factors play role
Meanwhile, the study asserted that the decline in mental well-being among younger generations stems from a web of complex, interlinked factors.
Contributing elements include smartphone use, growing social disconnection within society, and possible effects of environmental and chemical exposures.
Even as some Western nations increase spending on mental health services, the downward trend among younger groups remains unchanged.
This underscores the importance of developing prevention-focused strategies that target underlying causes, rather than concentrating solely on treatment interventions.
Rankings out, groupings in
Notably, the 2024 edition departs from past practices of assigning overall national rankings.
Instead, nations are placed in broad groupings, with researchers explaining that minor score variations lack statistical significance and may create misleading impressions.
The study notes that “overall country results could be skewed by population age structure, prompting the shift towards comparing age groups across countries rather than using a single ranking.”
Globally, adults 55 and above across 82 nations averaged 101, close to the baseline of 100 considered typical for healthy functioning.
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Adam Peaker 
Ciara Mina 
Rosemarie Zamora