"I feel lethargic and depressed" This is the most common concern among people in their 20s

[Financial News] Dain, a company specializing in Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), announced on the 17th that an analysis of counseling data conducted in the first half of 2025 revealed that more than half of the counseling content was related to emotional changes, child counseling, and job demands.
Dain's counseling topics are composed of four main areas: △Job-related (relationship conflicts, work environment, work-life balance, job demands, workplace culture) △Personal emotions (interpersonal relationships, self-understanding, emotional changes, addiction-related) △Family and children (family relationships, marital relationships, parenting counseling, child counseling) △Life counseling (legal counseling, tax counseling, financial counseling).
The analysis showed that as of the first half of this year, the number of people receiving counseling had already exceeded half of the total number of annual counseling sessions from the previous year. This indicates a rapid increase in demand for practical psychological counseling services.
By category, 'emotional changes' (25.8%), 'child counseling' (17.8%), 'job demands' (14.6%), 'marital relationships' (7.7%)', and 'parenting counseling' (6.5%) were the most common. The top three categories alone accounted for more than half of all counseling, indicating that personal psychological difficulties, practical family and parenting issues, and work burdens are emerging as major concerns.
The most common concern, emotional changes, includes emotional fluctuations, lethargy, depression, and anxiety. Recently, there has been a tendency to expand to burnout, chronic fatigue, and avoidance of relationships.
By age group, both men and women in their 20s most frequently complained about emotional issues such as depression and anxiety. In their 30s, men focused on family concerns centered on marriage and children, while women continued to express emotional difficulties. In their 40s, both men and women had a high proportion of counseling related to parenting and parental education, and in their 50s, men mainly consulted on family issues, while women again focused on personal emotional concerns.
People in their 20s and 30s mainly used psychological counseling centered on emotional support, while those in their 40s and 50s had a higher proportion of family and child-related counseling. Particularly, women showed a tendency for emotional issue counseling to be conducted across all age groups.
A representative from Dain stated, "Emotional anxiety experienced by employees, family conflicts, and work stress directly affect organizational commitment, performance, and turnover rates," adding, "EAP is now an essential psychological infrastructure rather than an option. The continuously rising utilization rate of counseling services shows how much the need in the corporate field is being realized."
  


kim091@fnnews.com Kim Young-gwon Reporter