82 percent of Dutch youth on the verge of burnout

A large part of the Dutch youth is on the verge of collapse and are one step away from burnout, says the National Center for Prevention Stress and Burnout (NCPSB). According to the NCPSB research, this concerns 82 percent of young people.

NCPSB director Theo Immers tells newspaper AD that burnout was already ‘public disease number one’ before the coronavirus, which the pandemic exacerbated for young people.

According to Immers, there are various causes for stress among young people. “40 percent of schoolchildren fear that they won’t pass the final exam, students will not be able to graduate. Study delay also affects career opportunities and student financing. The safety net of friends disappears due to limitations of contacts.”

Young people are the largest population group at risk of burnout. In comparison, 79 percent of IC staff, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, reported that they were experiencing burnout due to severe mental stress, states the NCPSB.

It is shocking that so little is being done for young people during the coronavirus crisis to prevent stress, says the NCPSB. “We rightly help hospitals to purchase extra masks, to staff the ICs, entrepreneurs receive support packages, but we miss a third pillar to help the young people who are now in trouble,” argues Immers.