In Spain, four out of ten adolescents say they have had or think they have had a mental health problem in the last two months, according to a study carried out by UNICEF Spain and the University of Seville.
The report, titled Mental health is a child and adolescent issue was presented this Tuesday on the occasion of World Mental Health Day (which will take place on October 10), reflects that, of these 41%, more than one in three adolescents have not spoken to anyone about these problems and more than half did not ask for any type of problem. help. “Many adolescents feel that they are alone in their struggles, that no one will understand them, and this leads them to think that they have to solve them themselves,” said Alae, 15, a member of the advisory group from UNICEF Spain. More girls (69.1%) than boys (58.5%) consider that talking about their worries and feelings is an element that improves mental health.
Among the most important external determinants for promoting mental health identified by adolescents themselves, good relationships with their parents (82.6%), support from close people (82%) and doing the things they want. they love and that makes them stand out. good (78.6%). Among internal factors, they ranked sleep habits (74.9%), physical exercise (62.3%) and a balanced diet (50.6%) first.
On the other hand, factors that affect their self-esteem, such as harassment or cyberbullying, are perceived as the most harmful to mental health, especially by girls. In this sense, as external determinants, they highlight being a victim of harassment or cyberbullying (80.1%) and having family problems (77%). Girls feel more pressure to have a certain physique: 73.5% believe that it affects them a lot or a lot, compared to 50.8% of boys. Adolescents highlight low self-esteem (68%), consumption of alcohol and/or other drugs (66%), physical health problems (58.5%) and economic difficulties ( 56.7%).
You feel that if you don’t “play the game” with them, you won’t belong in their group and you will continue to be alone. This is accentuated with social networks. It is important to fit in, but we must learn to build this autonomy that allows us to say no.
“It is essential that all services are strengthened, of course on the health care side, but in a particular way in terms of early detection and prevention,” said José María Vera, executive director of UNICEF Spain. The adolescents who attended the presentation of the report indicated that the place where they spend most of the day is school and that it is essential that the importance of the figure of the counselor or coordinator of the good is highlighted -to be (a figure that does not always exist in all centers). “I am in an institute that has 1,650 students and we only have one advisor,” said José Ángel (17), member of the UNICEF Spain advisory group.
They also spoke about the social pressures they experience: “In society there are many prejudices and social pressures, such as drugs or partying. These are things that today continue to be generalized as being normal in adolescence, despite the fact that some adolescents perhaps prefer to read a book or stay at home. You feel that if you don’t “play the game” with them, you won’t belong in their group and you will continue to be alone. This is accentuated with social networks. It is important to fit in, but we must learn to build this autonomy that allows us to say no.
Only three in ten people believe that social media harms their mental health
Concerning social networks, the use of which by adolescents is very widespread, only three in ten believe that using a cell phone is harmful to their mental health. Despite this, 32% say they have felt the need to show off a perfect, trouble-free life in the online world, even if it’s not true. More than twice as many girls (34.3%) as boys (13.3%) compare themselves to people who lead perfect lives.
More than half perceive platforms such as Twitter/X (56.3%), TikTok (55.4%) and Instagram (52.1%) as “very” or “somewhat” dangerous to mental health. On the other hand, a significant proportion of boys and girls do not consider Twitch, Snapchat, WhatsApp or YouTube to be dangerous.
“Social networks are useful, but you have to learn how to use them. Why not introduce a dynamic in schools to learn how to use a social network? To prevent before curing. If you teach us to use them from an early age, you will save us from all the negative path of experimentation, ”the young people said. “We must not only educate adolescents, but also fathers, mothers, educators… Knowing how to interact with them on their use of social networks. And we must demand much more responsible behavior from companies and platforms, because they have a long way to go,” said the organization’s executive director.
The perceived danger of social media for developing mental health problems depends on the network or platform, and as age increases, adolescents perceive these risks more. More than half perceive platforms such as Twitter/X (56.3%), TikTok (55.4%) and Instagram (52.1%) as “very” or “somewhat” dangerous to mental health. On the other hand, a significant proportion of boys and girls do not consider Twitch, Snapchat, WhatsApp or YouTube to be dangerous for their mental health.
Four in ten young people find it useful to read the news on social networks to learn about mental health problems, and 1 in 3 say they have found useful resources for their mental health thanks to social networks.
Mental health stigma is decreasing
“Boys have less prejudice than previous generations,” said Pilar Ramos, a researcher at the University of Seville and co-author of the report. The results show a normalization of these situations. Nearly 8 in 10 people say they would be friends with someone their age who visits or has seen a mental health professional.
In general, negative beliefs about these types of situations are not widespread among adolescents, the study points out. Perception changes when you ask about adults. About half of teens (47%) believe that adults think that those with mental health issues are very sensitive and should be treated very carefully so as not to upset or anger them.
Obsessive-compulsive disorders, followed by self-harm or suicide attempts and schizophrenia, are those which are perceived most negatively by young people and on which even more stereotypes are based. In contrast, eating disorders and depression have the lowest percentages of prejudice.
UNICEF Spain, in light of these results, has indicated as solutions the strengthening of detection and prevention programs and services and mental health care for children and adolescents; improve understanding of the problem; promote initiatives in schools, considered as centers of protection, awareness or training to be able to detect problems and know how to solve them; support families through training, recommendations or support networks; promote active listening and participation of children and adolescents themselves; increased media awareness; and promote a digital space key to emotional well-being.
For her part, Alae, one of the young women, agrees that, indeed, administrations and educational centers implement awareness strategies, such as workshops and conferences, “but that they are dynamic: that it is not It’s not the same thing that everyone repeats. to us.” the years with the screening of a presentation.” He also called for greater promotion of physical activity, such as hosting outdoor events that encourage “not being cooped up looking at a mobile device”; increase the number of advisors in institutes; and offer workshops to families so they can understand what happens to adolescents at this stage.
