Introduction: Mental health issues have been identified as a growing problem for young adults not only in Sweden but in the whole world. In Sweden, approximately 42% of young women say that they feel tense, anxious and nervous. The life of young women has mostly been researched from a mental health/illness perspective and focus on measurable factors related to this.
Aim: The aim of the presentation is to present a phenomenological study that describe young women’s experiences of living with existential concerns for which they have sought support.
Method: The present study is based on a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach. Nine young women aged 17-25 where interviewed about their experience of living with existential concerns.
Results: The young women are profoundly influenced by their existential concerns and they strive to comprehend themselves and their lives. There is a longing to share their existential concerns with a trustworthy person and at the same time as their fear of revealing their innermost thoughts and the risk of being rejected is present. The result also describe how the body is experienced as a carrier of existential concerns and limits everyday life.
Conclusion: Young women live in a context that places special demands and requirements on them, based on norms and values from society and themselves. They have to navigate through daily life to make their situation comprehensible. This indicate that care should be directed at giving young women the courage to be vulnerable in order to comprehend their existential concerns.