71% of Parents Report Last Year Was Tough for Kids
For children, heading back to school can be fraught with emotions, both positive and negative. A new national survey indicates what parents perceive are the top issues children are facing, CBS News reports.
In a Harris Poll conducted for the On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health, 71% of American parents reported that their children experienced challenges last school year. Here were the top issues of concern for young people:
- Concerns about safety – 37%
- Academic struggles – 36%
- Bullying – 24%
- Social issues related to ongoing fallout from the COVID pandemic – 24%
- Mental health challenges – 22%
“Between academic struggles, behavioral challenges, increased depression and anxiety, and challenges making social connections, we’ve been hearing firsthand from families about how tough last school year was for many kids,” noted Dr. Whitney Raglin Bignall, a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in a news release.
The survey collected responses from 585 parents of children ages 3 to 17, and the answers are very similar to what parents anticipated would be difficult issues for their children when asked the same question before the last school year.
So what can parents do about their concerns? “Checking in and having conversations with [their children] is a simple, yet critical way to help minimize any lingering issues before they turn into even bigger challenges this upcoming school year,” explains Raglin Bignall. With the advent of the new school year approaching, she says it’s “crucial to understand how kids are thinking and feeling about returning to the classroom.”
In the past few years, students have faced an inordinate number of issues impacting their physical and mental well-being. Some have experienced continuing mental health issues following the COVID-19 pandemic, as simply returning to the classroom did not resolve anxiety or other challenges. And the frequency of mass shootings induces anxiety and causes kids to concerned about their physical safety.
A Gallup survey conducted last year showed that school safety concerns reached a 20-year high among U.S. parents of students in grades K-12. Results showed that 44% of participating adults said they feared for their children’s physical safety at school, while 20% said their kids have independently expressed concerns about safety.
You can read the full article here.
Moniuszko, Sara. “71% of parents say kids experienced challenges last school year, survey shows. Here are the top stressors.” CBSNews.com, 27 Jul 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kids-school-year-top-stresses-survey/.
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