According to the Stress in America 2010 Survey, children age 8 to 17 are worried about:
- doing well in school
- getting into good colleges
- their family's finances.
Kids also report that they have headaches, upset stomachs and a hard time sleeping. But parents don’t realize how stressed their children are, survey findings show. The survey found that about one-fifth of children reported they worry a great deal or a lot, but only 3 percent of parents rate their children's stress as extreme (an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale).
"The best predictor of whether a child will become a satisfied adult is not their academic achievement but their emotional health in childhood." (Layard et al, 2014)
How is this related to mental health?
If chronic stress is left untreated, it can contribute to future psychological problems.
1 in 5 children ages 13-18 will have, or have a serious mental illness. Unfortunately, there is usually a delay of 8 - 10 years before they get treatment.
Not only do we need to treat mental disorders when they arise, but we also need to focus on prevention and teaching coping skills. We need to focus on the well-being and coping skills of all children.
In order for kids to learn to deal with stress in healthy ways, they need to learn effective coping skills.
Sources:
Layard et al (2014)
NAMI Mental Health Facts, Children and Teens
World Happiness Report 2015
The Kids Aren’t All Right - Stress in America Survey 2010