The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2022 study (Newlove-Delgado et al, 2022) has raised particular concerns about eating disorders, problems with sleep, and incidence of self-harm.
Overall it finds that 18% of seven to 16-year-olds have a probable mental health disorder, with this figure rising to 25.7% of 17 to 19-year-olds – one in four.
The figure for seven to 16-year-olds is broadly in line with 2021’s iteration of this research (17.8%), however the 17 to 19-year-old figure has risen sharply since last year when it stood at 17.4%.
And these are all notable rises from 2017, when the study was first carried out and when 10.1% of 17 to 19-year-olds and 12.1% of seven to 16-year-olds had probable mental health conditions.
The 2022 study is based on responses from 2,866 children and young people aged between seven and 24. It uses the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire which assesses different aspects of mental health including problems with emotions, behaviour, relationships, hyperactivity, and concentration. It then concludes whether the young person has a possible or probable mental health disorder or is unlikely to have one.
Alongside the headline findings, the study also investigates a number of factors that might be linked to poor mental health.
Disadvantage and school life: Children with a probable mental disorder were more likely than those without to live in a home experiencing financial strain. They were also more likely to report negative views and experiences at school and more likely to report being bullied online.
In particular, school absence rates were higher in children with a probable mental disorder – 12.6% missed more than 15 days of school compared with 3.9% of those unlikely to have a mental disorder.
Gender reversal: The study finds that at primary age more boys than girls seem to suffer from mental health disorders and yet by age 17 this has flipped to more girls than boys.
It found that among those aged seven to 10, prevalence of a probable mental disorder was nearly twice as high in boys (19.7%) as in girls (10.5%).
However, rates were similar in boys (18.8%) and girls (22%) at age 11 to 16 while among 17 to 24-year-olds, the prevalence was much higher in young women (31.2%) than young men (13.3%).
Eating disorders: The report includes evidence on potential eating disorders among the respondents after asking a number of screening questions. It finds that 12.9% of 11 to 16-year-olds and 60.3% of 17 to 19-year-olds had a possible eating problem. Across all age groups, the rate of possible eating problems was notably higher in girls than boys
Sleep and loneliness: The report finds that sleep problems are more common in children and young people with a probable mental disorder. Overall, 34% of seven to 16-year-olds and 64% of 17 to 23-year-olds were affected by problems with sleep three or more times over the previous seven nights. Of those with a probable mental disorder, this rose to 72.3% and 89.5% respectively.
Loneliness was also more common among children and young people with a probable mental disorder: 5.2% of 11 to 16-year-olds reported that they often or always felt lonely, rising to 18% among those with a probable mental health disorder.
Self-harm: Those with a probable mental disorder were more likely to report self-harm: 28.3% of seven to 16-year-olds and 68.6% of 17 to 24-year-olds with a probable mental disorder had ever tried to harm themselves. Of those unlikely to have a mental disorder, these figures are 2.5% and 17.8% respectively.
Commenting on the research, Amy Dicks, policy and impact manager at the Children’s Society said they “laid bare the horrifying scale of mental health issues affecting children and young people”.
She added: “One in six younger children are struggling with a mental health disorder, as many as during last year’s lockdown, showing that children are in desperate need of long-term support.
“However, the crisis in children’s mental health long pre-dated the pandemic, with a failing system turning children away or making them wait months on end for treatment.
“We want early support hubs in every community so young people can get immediate support when issues arise, and the government to measure children’s wellbeing so it is easier to identify those who are struggling and provide targeted action and investment preventing mental ill-health.”
- Newlove-Delgado et al: Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2022, NHS Digital, November 2022: http://bit.ly/3AX0zTC