‘Sobering’ study reveals extent of bullying and mental health problems for children in Wales

Study of 50,000 pupils aged 7-11 also finds most struggle to sleep, and fewer than half eat fruit or vegetables every day

Most older primary school pupils have problems sleeping while a third suffer emotional difficulties, a major study has revealed.

Half of the children aged seven to 11 who took part in the research said they had been bullied at school and fewer than half ate fruit or vegetables every day.

68% of children reported having problems sleeping sometimes or always. 15% reported a bedtime of 10pm or later.

About 30% reported “elevated or clinically significant emotional difficulties”. More girls than boys and learners from low-affluence families reported this.

51% reported having been bullied at school in the past couple of months. A slightly higher proportion of girls than boys said they had been bullied. 29% of year six learners reported having been cyberbullied in the past couple of months.

48% reported eating fruit at least once a day. Girls were more likely to report eating fruit daily. 37% reported eating vegetables at least once a day. Boys were less likely to report eating vegetables daily.

69% of learners reported a high degree of life satisfaction. Life satisfaction declined with increased age. A slightly higher proportion of boys reported high life satisfaction than girls.

For nearly all survey questions, learners who stated that they identified as neither a boy nor a girl had poorer outcomes.

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Source: www.theguardian.com

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