Doctoral Project Continuous Editing

Laura Kay Utgard

California Southern University

PSY: 87991 Doctoral Project One

December, 2018

Overview of the Study

The millennial generation is experiencing higher levels of suicide, anxiety, and depression compared to the baby boomers and Generation X (Steiner, 2013). Several reasons have been given for the rise in depression among Millennials in the past, but none has been definitive (Ferri-Reed, 2013). Researchers on generational differences have shown that the millennial generation has higher expectations for perfection and these elevated expectations have also been blamed for this pressure (Odenweller et al., 2014). Leaders in developed nations like Canada and the United States have focused policy on individual empowerment, and as a result, millennials are living up to high standards set by the previous generations (Ferri-Reed, 2013).

Perfectionism can be described as a combination of high personal standards and extremely critical self-evaluations (Eagan et al. 2016). Millenials who fail to meet this high expectation end up being depressed (Ferri-Reed, 2013). Perfectionism is not what is pressuring Millennials, but it is today referred to as multidimensional where the young adults feel the pressure to measure up to several sets of criteria (Eagan et al. 2016). The desire to reach the impossible standards of life and to attain unrealistic goals increase the anxiety, suicidal thoughts, depression, and eating disorders among this generation (Odenweller et al. 2014).

Background

The cases of depression among the Millennials have skyrocketed in the past few years. The number of people diagnosed in the United States has gone up 33% between 2013 and 2017. The depression cases among Millennials aged 18-34 have increased by around 47% (Eagan et al. 2016). The statistics that are shown here indicate that there is a big problem in society. It is critical to look at the topic to understand why these conditions are increasing by the day. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that suicide is the second highest cause of deaths among the Millennials. The trend is worrying, and it is critical to investigate this issue (Ferri-Reed, 2013). The rise of depression needs to be investigated because it will have a significant influence on the lives of this generation in the future. There seems to be widespread despair among the youths in the country today .

Depression among the millennials has also been linked to several other health disorders. 80% of people with major depression are also diagnosed with one or more health disorders (Weinstein et al. 2015). The people who have depression are also more likely today to suffer from several other chronic illnesses (Eagan et al. 2016). Depressed millennials are also more likely to consume alcohol and other illegal drugs as compared to the people who do not have such a diagnosis. There is a significant number of millennials suffering from depression. Therefore, the government of the United States ends up spending more on the millennials as compared to other generations. The healthcare providers are forced to inquire about depression as a signal for other health conditions (Ferri-Reed, 2013).

The employment sector can also be used to show the mental health situation in the modern day. The millennial employees have also been reported to suffer from depression compared to every other generation that is represented in the workforce (Ferri-Reed, 2013). The companies of today are being forced to prioritize their resources to mental health, and this is because the millennials are becoming the largest population of employees. 20% of employees who are millennials in the workplace have reported that they experience depression compared to 16% of the baby boomers (Weinstein et al. 2015). The opportunity for them in an area like employment is unique. They are the first generation to go into the workplace being highly educated, but there is little job growth for them to show in the modern companies (Ferri-Reed, 2013). The highest percentage of the millennials feels that they are too educated or are underemployed in their workstations. Millennials are reporting depression and anxiety in the workplace. The depression has affected their productivity while at work and home. The companies are reporting a far worse off bottom-line as a result of this.

Millennials are growing up in the era of technology and social networks which have been attributed to several mental health problems including anxiety and depression. Social networks give access to a wide variety of content. Considering the freedom and independence that is on the internet, some of the content has proven to be harmful to the people who consume it. Millennials are notorious for posting every little detail they’ve been up to on their social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While this is entertaining, other millennials keep checking on what their friends have posted and make comparisons which lead to low self-esteem (Odenweller, 2014). They imagine that their counterparts are having a good on social media never experience any bad moment. This will drive the millennial to self-loathing because they believe that they have not achieved their dreams. This constant comparison and always coming shortly is what leads to a lack of self-esteem, drug use, among other vices to cope with the sadness (Odenweller, 2014). Exposure to technology creates in the minds of the millennials unrealistic expectations based on the lives of their icon celebrities. Watching their favorite celebrities step out in designer outfits and cars make these millennials set standards for their desired lifestyles (Odenweller, 2014). This depresses the millennials when they fail to meet their expectation (Steiner, 2013).

The issue of depression among the millennials has been fostered by the gap between the thoughts of millennials and what takes place in real life. (Eagan et al. 2016). For example, it is true that there are many people living luxurious lives, but the truth is that not every person has the financial powers to live such a life. In such a case, the millennials who are not in a position to meet their high expectations, they end up being depressed. At the same time, the exposure of illegal drugs has increased the cases of depression among many millennials (Eagan et al. 2016). The reason behind it is because drugs lead to inactivity and that means that the productivity of the consumers is negatively affected. When the productivity of a millennial is affected, it means that he or she will either lose a job or fail to secure employment and that leads to frustration (Ferri-Reed, 2013 ).

References

Eagan, K., Stolzenberg, E., Ramirez, J., Aragon, M., Suchard, M., & Rios-Aguilar. (2016). The American Freshman: Fifty-Year Trends, 1966-2015. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. Retrieved December 13, 2018 (https://www.heri.ucla.edu/monographs/50YearTrendsMonograph2016.pdf).

Ferri-Reed, J. (2013). Millennials-generation" screwed" or generation" shrewd?". The Journal for Quality and Participation, 36(1), 22.

Odenweller, K. G., Booth-Butterfield, M., & Weber, K. (2014). Investigating helicopter parent ing, family environments, and relational outcomes for Millennials. Communication Studies, 65(4), 407-425.

Stein, J. (2013). Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation. Time, May 20. Retrieved December 7th, 2018 ( http://time.com/247/millennials-the-me-me-me-generation/

�

Melanie Shaw � DATE \@ "M/1/yy, h:mm AM/PM" �1/1/19, 1:04 PM�

Laura, I still see edits needed. I know you are working with the writing center. Also, as I noted in my email, I believe you will need an editor to support your writing. I am going to focus on the content to allow you the chance to have your writing edited.

�

Melanie Shaw � DATE \@ "M/1/yy, h:mm AM/PM" �1/1/19, 1:06 PM�

According to whom? Remember, citations are needed whenever you make a claim.

�

Melanie Shaw � DATE \@ "M/1/yy, h:mm AM/PM" �1/1/19, 1:07 PM�

You are still very broad in your writing. I would encourage you to strip away the stuff that is not related to the very narrow problem you will explore in your study. As a reminder, here is the way to structure this intro:

Begin with an overview of the general topic to establish the context of the study and orient the reader to the field.

Describe the larger context in which the problem exists. Explain how the problem can be addressed by the study.

Present an overview of why this research topic is relevant and warranted.

Briefly explain what research has been done on the topic and why the topic is important practically and empirically as well as theoretically.

Clearly lead the reader to the problem statement that will follow. The reader should not be surprised by the problem that is described later in the document.

Do not explicitly state the study problem, purpose, or methodology, as they are discussed in subsequent sections.

Devote approximately 2 to 4 pages to this section.