High psychological distress

Population groups

• Indigenous status

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary for First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, by Indigenous status. In 2022, 49% of First Nations people with disability and 31% of non-Indigenous people with disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Indigenous status	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  First Nations	#50%	(36.7%–62.7%)
  Non-Indigenous	43%	(40.6%–44.8%)
  All persons	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  First Nations	n.p.	n.p.
  Non-Indigenous	17%	(15.5%–19.2%)
  All persons	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  First Nations	49%	(39.6%–58.8%)
  Non-Indigenous	31%	(29.6%–32.3%)
  All persons	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  • # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.
  • n.p. (not published) Data have been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. Data source does not cover very remote areas and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
  3. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.
  n.p. (not published) Data have been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Sex at birth

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary by sex?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, for men and women. In 2022, 29% of men with disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared with 33% of women.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Sex	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  Males	43%	(39.6%–45.5%)
  Females	44%	(40.7%–46.5%)
  All persons	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Males	15%	(12.6%–17.6%)
  Females	20%	(17.1%–22.0%)
  All persons	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  Males	29%	(27.4%–31.4%)
  Females	33%	(31.0%–35.1%)
  All persons	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. The data are reported based on sex recorded at birth, determined by sex characteristics observed at birth or infancy. Total includes people whose sex at birth was recorded as ‘Another term’.
  3. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Age group

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary by age?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, grouped by age. In the 18–24 age group, 51% of adults with disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared with 17% of those aged 65 and over.

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  Age group	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  18–24	51%	(43.0%–58.3%)
  25–44	50%	(46.0%–53.2%)
  45–64	38%	(35.9%–40.9%)
  65 and over	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  All ages	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Note Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Cultural and linguistic diversity status

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary by cultural and linguistic diversity background?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) status. In 2022, 33% of adults from CALD backgrounds with disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress, as did 31% among the non-CALD group.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Cultural and linguistic diversity status	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  CALD	38%	(32.5%–44.4%)
  CALD – low English proficiency	#39%	(16.7%–60.7%)
  CALD – high English proficiency	38%	(32.0%–44.9%)
  Non-CALD	44%	(41.8%–45.9%)
  All persons	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  CALD	27%	(21.6%–31.5%)
  CALD – low English proficiency	#47%	(32.0%–61.3%)
  CALD – high English proficiency	22%	(17.5%–27.3%)
  Non-CALD	16%	(13.9%–17.3%)
  All persons	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  CALD	33%	(28.8%–36.6%)
  CALD – low English proficiency	#44%	(30.1%–57.0%)
  CALD – high English proficiency	31%	(26.9%–35.3%)
  Non-CALD	31%	(29.8%–32.6%)
  All persons	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  • # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) cohort includes people not born in a main English-speaking country and/or who mainly speak a language other than English at home.
  3. English proficiency is reported for people in the CALD cohort only. Low English proficiency group includes people who mainly speak a language other than English at home and say they speak English 'not well' or 'not at all'. High English proficiency group includes people who mainly speak English at home, and those who mainly speak a language other than English at home and say they speak English 'well' or 'very well'.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Remoteness

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary by remoteness?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, grouped by remoteness. In 2022, 32% of adults with disability in major cities had high or very high levels of psychological distress, as did 29% in outer regional and remote areas.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Remoteness	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  Major cities	43%	(40.2%–45.7%)
  Inner regional	44%	(39.6%–48.3%)
  Outer regional and remote	42%	(35.3%–49.5%)
  All areas	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Major cities	19%	(16.8%–21.8%)
  Inner regional	14%	(10.6%–17.4%)
  Outer regional and remote	15%	(9.7%–19.3%)
  All areas	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  Major cities	32%	(30.5%–34.5%)
  Inner regional	30%	(26.5%–33.5%)
  Outer regional and remote	29%	(24.0%–33.3%)
  All areas	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. Remoteness is classified according to Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia. Data source does not cover very remote areas.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Disability group

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary by disability group?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, by disability group. In 2022, 72% of adults with psychosocial disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared with 24% among adults with sensory or speech disability.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Disability group	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  Sensory and speech	39%	(35.2%–43.6%)
  Learning and understanding	62%	(57.1%–66.5%)
  Physical restriction	44%	(41.7%–46.3%)
  Psychosocial	77%	(75.0%–79.9%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	58%	(49.7%–65.4%)
  Other	57%	(54.3%–60.7%)
  All with disability	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Sensory and speech	15%	(12.8%–17.9%)
  Learning and understanding	37%	(28.5%–45.9%)
  Physical restriction	21%	(18.5%–22.9%)
  Psychosocial	54%	(48.6%–59.3%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	22%	(14.9%–29.9%)
  Other	28%	(25.0%–31.2%)
  All with disability	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  Sensory and speech	24%	(21.4%–26.6%)
  Learning and understanding	56%	(51.6%–60.1%)
  Physical restriction	33%	(31.4%–34.6%)
  Psychosocial	72%	(69.6%–74.4%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	43%	(37.5%–49.1%)
  Other	44%	(42.1%–46.7%)
  All with disability	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. Components will not add to total as people may report impairments related to more than one disability group. In such cases, people are counted separately for each disability group but are only counted once in the aggregated total.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary for Autistic and non-Autistic people?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, by whether they have autism. In 2022, 53% of Autistic adults with disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared with 31% among non-Autistic adults with disability (please note that the proportion for the Autistic people with disability group has a high margin of error and should be used with caution).

  Please note that in this data source, not all Autistic people are considered to have disability. Autistic people who do not report significant limitations, impairments or restrictions are considered to not have disability; these people are not reported on in this graph and table.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Autism status	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  Autistic people with disability	#50%	(35.0%–65.3%)
  Non-Autistic people with disability	43%	(41.0%–44.8%)
  All with disability	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Autistic people with disability	n.p.	n.p.
  Non-Autistic people with disability	17%	(15.6%–19.3%)
  All with disability	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  Autistic people with disability	#53%	(41.2%–65.5%)
  Non-Autistic people with disability	31%	(29.8%–32.3%)
  All with disability	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  • # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.
  • n.p. (not published) Data have been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. Autistic people are those who reported that they have a long-term condition in the group 'Autism and related disorders (including Rett's syndrome and Asperger's syndrome)'. In this data source, not all Autistic people are considered to have disability. In 2022, according to the definition of disability used in this data source, 91% of Autistic people had disability.
  3. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.
  n.p. (not published) Data have been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Severity of disability

  Does the proportion of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress vary by severity of disability?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of adults with disability (aged 18 and over) with high or very high levels of psychological distress, grouped by disability severity. In 2022, 47% of adults with severe or profound disability had high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared with 25% for adults with other disability status.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Severity of disability	% of people with disability with high levels of psychological distress	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 18–64
  Severe or profound disability	63%	(59.6%–67.3%)
  Other disability status	36%	(33.7%–38.7%)
  All with disability	43%	(41.2%–45.0%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Severe or profound disability	32%	(27.9%–35.3%)
  Other disability status	11%	(9.2%–12.4%)
  All with disability	17%	(15.6%–19.2%)
  Aged 18 and over
  Severe or profound disability	47%	(44.3%–50.2%)
  Other disability status	25%	(23.7%–26.8%)
  All with disability	31%	(30.1%–32.7%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over living in households, excluding those who were not asked the psychological stress questions or where it was not possible to determine score.
  2. Severe or profound disability means always or sometimes needing assistance or supervision with self-care, mobility, and/or communication.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2024. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 6 September 2024.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview