Participation Works

New research published by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has found that one in three UK children feel some type of emotional distress most of the time.

An online poll of 1,200 11 to 16 year olds was carried out on behalf of the NSPCC. Key findings include that 32 percent of respondents said they felt sad, depressed, lonely, worried, stressed, scared or angry most of the time and this increased to almost half of girls aged 14 to 16 years old. Only one in five said they mostly felt secure.

Other key findings from the poll include that there is a rise in levels of stress experienced by children in their mid teen years with 27 percent of 14 to 16 year olds saying they felt stressed most of the time compared to 12 percent of 11 to 13 year olds. The poll found that friends replace parents as children's top source of support as they grow older. While 63 percent of respondents said they would turn first to a parent for advice or help when in a bad mood 52 percent of 14 to 16 year olds said they would choose a friend first. The poll also found that 34 percent said they shared their problems online through instant messaging and 25% shared their problems on social networking sites. 26 percent of young people said they didn't think they would ever share their problems online.

NSPCC Chief Executive Andrew Flanagan says: "While many children are generally happy, others are deeply troubled and desperate for help. As we know, teenage years can be notoriously stressful for young people and the lucky ones have friends or parents to help them through their problems. But the scale of childhood distress in this poll is revealing.

The poll findings coincide with the launch of a new online service for vulnerable children by the NSPCC. The ChildLine site now offers children an online place to play, explore and talk about their problems.

Fri, 23/10/2009 - 13:50