Overbearing parents fuel an explosion of mental health problems in children, a study suggests.
A Florida research team found that parents’ good intentions deprived their children of essential time to play independently, to roam, and to participate in activities.
In an analysis of 80 studies, researchers found that since the 1970s, children have been less able to play independently, consistent with a sharp increase in depression and anxiety over that period.
Now nine out of ten school administrators say their students suffer from moderate or severe mental health problems.
The poor mental health of American children is now at an all-time high. The CDC has found that 57 percent of girls in high school now struggle with lingering feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In boys, the level is 29 percent
Dr. David Bjorklund, of Florida Atlantic University, spoke about the benefits of risky play for children
The lack of independent play deprives children of the chance to build a character that can combat life’s stresses and an immediate source of happiness, researchers say.
Dr. David Bjorklund, a psychologist at Florida Atlantic University, just north of Miami, who led the research, said: ‘Parents are getting regular messages these days about the dangers that can befall unsupervised children and the value of high achievement in school.
‘But they hear little of the opposing reports that children, in order to grow up well-adjusted, need more and more opportunities for independent activities.
‘[This includes] self-directed play and meaningful contributions to family and community life, which are signs of being trusted, responsible and capable.”
He added, “They need to feel they can deal effectively with the real world, not just the world of school.”
In the meta-analysis published in the Journal of Pediatricsresearchers found that children are now being raised with less of this crucial playtime.
America is facing an explosion in youth mental health problems, with anxiety and depression reaching record highs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in 2011, about 36 percent of female high school students felt persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
But by 2021, that had risen to 57 percent — an increase of nearly 60 percent.
For boys, rates rose from 21 to 29 percent over the same period, or an increase of 38 percent.
Experts previously blamed social media, the Covid pandemic and problems accessing mental health care.
This study is the latest to shine a spotlight on controlling parents as a major cause.
Scientists warned that over the decades, parents have become less willing to let children participate in risky play or socialize unsupervised, making them overbearing.
But they said risky play, such as climbing a tree, was essential to help children’s character development.
Without it, they said young people were more at risk of developing phobias and boosting their confidence to deal with emergencies.
They also said that children now spend too long in school and have to do homework at home, leaving them without play activities.
There has also been a rise in the number of high school students considering attempting suicide, the CDC said, from 19 to 30 percent
Since 1950, the average length of the school year in the U.S. has increased by as much as five weeks, they said, at the expense of free time.
Homework, which was once rare or non-existent in primary school, is now taught in kindergarten even for children as young as five.
Break times have also been reduced, falling to just 26 minutes and 50 seconds per school day in 2014, with some schools scrapping the break altogether. In the 1990s, that averaged about 40 minutes a day. Parents are now urging that recess be extended to 50 minutes in all schools.
Dr. Bjorklund said: ‘An important category of independent activity, especially for young children, is play.
‘Research, as well as daily observation, shows that play is a direct source of children’s happiness.’
The researchers also believe that the intensity of schoolwork and the fear of academic failure may be linked to a decline in children’s mental health.
Dr. Bjorklund added: ‘Unlike other crises, such as the Covid epidemic, this decline in independent activity, and therefore in children’s mental well-being, has come to us gradually over decades, so many have barely noticed it. noticed.
“Moreover, unlike other health crises, this one is not the result of a highly contagious virus, but rather the result of good intentions taken too far — intentions to protect children and provide what many believe is better, interpreted as more, education, both inside and outside real schools.’
Experiencing anxiety in early life is a risk for children because it can increase the likelihood that they will suffer from other conditions such as depression later in life.
It can also increase the risk that they will engage in dangerous behaviors, including self-harm, substance abuse, and bullying their peers.
In October, the US Preventive Services Task Force first recommended that all children be screened for anxiety at ages eight and 18.
They also faced calls to indicate that children ages 12 to 18 should be screened for depression.
A survey by Effective School Solutions, which provides mental health support in schools, found that 57 percent of principals now say more of their students are experiencing moderate or severe mental health problems than ever before.
The same was true for parents: 57 percent said they were concerned about the mental health crisis in the classrooms.
Conversely, only 16 percent said they were confident their school was up to the challenge.