A new survey sounds the alarm about worry in young children, with 86% saying they are worried. Many of those concerns are related to the pandemic, CBS News reports. The Nemours Kids Health survey shows that more than one in three children aged 9 to 13 worry at least once a week, usually about school (64%) or friendships (41%). More than half don’t think adults understand their concerns. Dr. Lawrence Moss is president and CEO of Nemours Children’s Health. “More important than the content of the concerns is the frequency and extent of the concerns,” he said. He adds that worrying in some children can lead to depression and mental health problems that extend into adulthood. of the adult population, 75% started before age 14. So if we don’t solve this problem, we literally risk losing an entire generation of Americans,” he said. Moss says parents should be proactive — simply asking kids what’s on their mind, CBS News reports. Like many kids across the country, 12-year-old Maeve Bradley had to stay home during the pandemic. But when she returned to class, she said her mind was full of worries. ‘Cause like we were doing a lot of stuff on our computer. And now it’s like we’re back with different kinds of tests and stuff,” the sixth grader said. Maeve took a break from team sports for a while. Through it all, her mother Maura was ready to listen. I just wanted to make sure she knew she could come and talk, and no matter what, we’d be there for her.” Maeve is better now and back in sports. She says, “I know some kids have a really hard time And I want them to know there are people out there who are going through the same thing.” According to the survey, 75% of younger children said they turn to their parents first for information or that number fell to nearly 50% for older children.
A new survey sounds the alarm about worry in young children, with 86% saying they are worried. Many of those concerns are related to the pandemic, CBS News reports.
The Nemours Kids Health survey shows that more than one in three children aged 9 to 13 worry at least once a week, usually about school (64%) or friendships (41%). More than half don’t think adults understand their concerns.
Dr. Lawrence Moss is president and CEO of Nemours Children’s Health. “More important than the content of the concerns is the frequency and extent of the concerns,” he said.
He adds that worrying in some children can lead to depression and mental health problems that extend into adulthood. “Of serious mental illness in the adult population, 75% started before the age of 14. So if we don’t solve this problem, we literally risk losing an entire generation of Americans,” he said.
Moss says parents should be proactive — simply asking kids what’s on their mind, CBS News reports.
Like many kids across the country, 12-year-old Maeve Bradley had to stay home during the pandemic. But when she returned to class, she said her mind was full of worries. ‘Cause like we were doing a lot of stuff on our computer. And now it’s back with different types of keys and stuff,” said the sixth grader.
Maeve took a break from team sports for a while. Through it all, her mother Maura was ready to listen. I just wanted to make sure she knew she could come and talk, and no matter what, we’d be there for her.”
Maeve is now better and working out again. She says, “I know some kids are really struggling, and I just want them to know there are people out there who are going through the same thing.”
According to the survey, 75% of younger children said they turn to their parents first for information or advice. That number dropped to nearly 50% for older children.