Parents are wrong: children's resilience is overrated!

Parents are wrong: children's resilience is overrated!

A recent study published alarming results on the mental health of children and young people in Tyrol. The survey, in which 953 parents and their children took part in the fall, revealed that many parents overestimate their children's resilience. Study leader and health psychologist Silvia Exenberger warned that parents often do not recognize sufficiently when their children need support. In fact, younger people report that financial difficulties in their families severely affect their resilience, while children from wealthy families feel more resilient. This shows the complex relationship between family stability and children's mental health. It was also found that girls perceive themselves to be more resilient, which is also reflected in the parents' assessments, so that increased information about the necessary support options is required in order to offer help in a targeted manner.

Increasing psychological stress

The director of the University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kathrin Sevecke, confirmed the worrying trends regarding mental illnesses. “Stress symptoms in young people continue to increase, and we are seeing a clear increase in the number of mental illnesses,” said Sevecke. She emphasized that the consequences of the pandemic, although serious, were only part of a much larger problem. There are multiple crises that affect the psychological well-being of young people. The expert urgently called for more public funding for outreach and outpatient services in order to better respond to the needs of those affected.

In order to meet the increasing need for action, State Health Councilor Cornelia Hagele assured financial support for the continuation of the Tyrolean Covid children's study until the end of 2025. This emphasizes the importance of the mental health of children and young people in Tyrol - a topic that should be further addressed through ongoing research and interventions. In summary, the results of the studies show: kleinezeitung.at and tirol.orf.at the urgent need to raise awareness of the real needs of young people and to actively counteract the psychological pressure to which they are exposed.