Covid: Children at risk of mental disorder are growing

(ANSA) - ROME, OCTOBER 26 - In England, in the last 3 years, the percentage of children and young people with a probable mental disorder has increased. In males between the ages of 5 and 16 the rate goes from 11.4% in 2017 to 16.7% in July 2020 (+ 5.3%) and in females from 10.3% to 15.2% (+4.9 %). This is stated in the 2020 report "The mental health of children and young people in England", created by the University of Cambridge, which photographs the situation in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The likelihood of a mental disorder increases with age, with a noticeable gender difference for the older age group (17 to 22 years). In 2020, 27.2% of young women and 13.3% of young men in this group were identified as having a probable mental disorder. The scholars analyzed a sample of 3,570 children and young people between 5 and 22 years old, interviewed both in 2017 and in July 2020. The report revealed that, among girls between 11 and 16 years old, almost two thirds (63.8%) with a probable mental disorder they had seen or heard an argument between the adults in their family. Sleep problems appear to be a major factor during the pandemic, with more than a quarter of young people (28.5%) having trouble falling asleep. Problems related to sleep have most affected young people aged 17 to 22 (41%). One in ten children (10.1%) said they often or always disent only: this was more common in girls (13.8%) than in boys (6.5%). (HANDLE).