For anyone else wondering if they considered things like increased awareness of disabilities and reduced stigma, among other factors (from the "Discussion" section):
Exemplary
For anyone else wondering if they considered things like increased awareness of disabilities and reduced stigma, among other factors (from the "Discussion" section):
The significant increase in self-reported cognitive disability, particularly after 2016, suggests changing perceptions or experiences of cognitive challenges in the US population. This trend could be influenced by heightened awareness of mental and cognitive health, reduced stigma in discussing these issues, or actual increases in cognitive burdens related to social, economic, and health factors. Regardless of the underlying cause, the increase reflects a growing public health challenge that warrants attention.
The increasing prevalence of self-reported cognitive disability among younger adults aged 18–39 is particularly striking and suggests a notable shift in demographic risk patterns. During the study period, the prevalence of self-reported cognitive disability nearly doubled in this group, a trend that was not observed in older adults. Younger individuals may be more likely to acknowledge and report cognitive difficulties due to increasing societal awareness and evolving norms around recognizing and discussing cognitive and functional challenges, beyond traditional mental health or affective symptoms. Furthermore, economic stressors, job market uncertainties, and changes in work environments, such as greater reliance on digital tools, may contribute to these trends.
By contrast, the relatively stable or slightly declining prevalence of cognitive disability among community-dwelling older adults may reflect decades of progress in managing chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular conditions, which are known risk factors of cognitive decline. Better educational attainment and improved health care access among older generations may also contribute to this trend. However, it is important to note that BRFSS only surveys community-dwelling adults capable of completing a 20-minute phone interview; individuals with advanced dementia or those residing in nursing homes or other congregate care settings are systematically excluded. While this sampling frame has remained consistent over time, the overall prevalence of dementia is increasing nationally, suggesting that a growing proportion of older adults with the most substantial impairments are not captured in BRFSS estimates. Thus, the apparent stability in cognitive disability prevalence among older adults may partly reflect selective exclusion rather than true population-level improvement. Meanwhile, the rising trend among younger adults offsets these patterns, resulting in an overall increase in self-reported cognitive disability.
This was where my mind went to first. It seems that they "took note" of it but do they actually draw any conclusions on whether or not the destigmatization of mental health among young folks is...
This was where my mind went to first.
It seems that they "took note" of it but do they actually draw any conclusions on whether or not the destigmatization of mental health among young folks is enough to "bridge the gap" here?
The section copied seems to stop just short of filling out that conclusion, unless I am misreading something.
Furthermore, I find it interesting they excluded the 2020 data due to the pandemic, but were willing to keep the 2021, 2022, and 2023 data. While 2020 was indeed the "start of it all" I think it's strange to exclude only that year. Health effects of the pandemic are still evolving to this day (such as repercussions from lost loved ones, other lingering affects, and social isolation). It seems like an important factor to consider in this data set in it's entirety, or not at all.
We should probably have expected the older generations to have more disabilities faster, but it's alarming that American youths are the highest rate increase group. I wanted to quote a bunch of...
We should probably have expected the older generations to have more disabilities faster, but it's alarming that American youths are the highest rate increase group.
I wanted to quote a bunch of passages, because these are very alarming results with probably lifelong adverse affect on a quarter of younger American generations. But by the time I got to the end, I mostly have one question: is this an only American thing, or is this worldwide?
A quick Statistics Canada graph shows an increase for all age groups 2017>2022, but the biggest jump is in the 15-24 age group.
While disability prevalence among youth is lower than their older counterparts, youth aged 15 to 24 experienced the largest disability rate increase of all age groups from 2017 to 2022, going from 13.1% to 20.1% (+7 percentage points). In comparison, the disability rate among those aged 65 years and older increased from 37.8% to 40.4% (+2.6 percentage points) over the same period.
Among youth, the three most prevalent disability types were mental health-related (13.6%), learning (9.2%), and pain-related (6.7%). The prevalence of mental health-related disabilities among youth rose from 7.8% in 2017 to 13.6% in 2022, marking the largest increase (+6 percentage points) in prevalence among all disability types for that age group. This increase was notably higher among young women (+9 percentage points) over the same period.
So antidepressants, central nervous system stimulants, or analgesics. I’m not drawing any conclusions, but my experiences living among Americans plus the fact that data from this study was...
Among youth, the three most prevalent disability types were mental health-related (13.6%), learning (9.2%), and pain-related (6.7%)
So antidepressants, central nervous system stimulants, or analgesics. I’m not drawing any conclusions, but my experiences living among Americans plus the fact that data from this study was gathered from self report instruments suggests to me a more complex picture.
For anyone else wondering if they considered things like increased awareness of disabilities and reduced stigma, among other factors (from the "Discussion" section):
This was where my mind went to first.
It seems that they "took note" of it but do they actually draw any conclusions on whether or not the destigmatization of mental health among young folks is enough to "bridge the gap" here?
The section copied seems to stop just short of filling out that conclusion, unless I am misreading something.
Furthermore, I find it interesting they excluded the 2020 data due to the pandemic, but were willing to keep the 2021, 2022, and 2023 data. While 2020 was indeed the "start of it all" I think it's strange to exclude only that year. Health effects of the pandemic are still evolving to this day (such as repercussions from lost loved ones, other lingering affects, and social isolation). It seems like an important factor to consider in this data set in it's entirety, or not at all.
We should probably have expected the older generations to have more disabilities faster, but it's alarming that American youths are the highest rate increase group.
I wanted to quote a bunch of passages, because these are very alarming results with probably lifelong adverse affect on a quarter of younger American generations. But by the time I got to the end, I mostly have one question: is this an only American thing, or is this worldwide?
A quick Statistics Canada graph shows an increase for all age groups 2017>2022, but the biggest jump is in the 15-24 age group.
Here's Statistics Canada, comparing just 2017 with 2022
So antidepressants, central nervous system stimulants, or analgesics. I’m not drawing any conclusions, but my experiences living among Americans plus the fact that data from this study was gathered from self report instruments suggests to me a more complex picture.