However, this report prepared from the opinions of young people reflects that of that 41%, more than 1 in 3 adolescents has not spoken to anyone about these problems and more than half have not asked for help. There is still a certain stigma around the subject.
Therefore, in the words of our executive director, José María Vera, “it is essential to promote from all areas – public and private institutions, media, families, education, etc. – actions, campaigns, initiatives or training that contribute to eradicating stigma and prejudice, and at the same time to improve the mental well-being of our children and adolescents.”
Factors that determine mental health
Among the most important internal factors for promote mental health identified by the adolescents themselves are:
- Sleep habits (74.9%).
- Physical exercise (62.3%).
- Eat a balanced diet (50.6%).
Among the most beneficial external factors stand out:
- A good relationship with their parents (82.6%).
- Support from close people (82%).
- Doing things that they like and that make them feel good (78.6%).
On the contrary, the internal factors that, according to adolescents themselves, harm their mental health:
- Low self-esteem.
- The consumption of alcohol and other drugs.
- Have physical health problems.
- Have financial difficulties.
The external determinants that most harm mental health are:
- Being a victim of bullying or cyberbullying.
- Have family problems.
Social networks: perfect life even if it is not true
According to this Opinion Barometer on mental health, the widespread use of social networks by adolescents deserves special attention: 98.5% claim to have used them at some time.
Here it is worth distinguishing between different situations that adolescents manifest:
- 73.5% claim to have not felt overwhelmed or stressed by the amount of information received about mental health.
- 70% have used networks to express themselves about mental health.
- 32% say they have felt the need to show a perfect and problem-free life in the online world, even if it is not true.
In this sense, more than twice as many girls (34.3%) as boys (13.3%) compare themselves to people who show perfect lives and good mental health on social networks. Besides, They feel more pressure to have a certain physique: 73.5% believe that this affects them a lot or a lot, compared to 50.8% of boys.
Regarding attitudes and prejudices towards mental health problems, Negative beliefs are not widespread among adolescents: Although 1 in 4 think that people with mental health problems feel ashamed, almost 8 in 10 say they would be friends with someone their age who is visiting a mental health professional and only 16.2% believe that people with mental health problems do not behave as well as the rest of the class.
José Ángel: “For looking like the best”
José Ángel, a 17-year-old boy who is part of our Advisory Group at Unicef Spain, says that as a teenager “The stereotypes and prejudices we have among ourselves make us feel insecure and we try to show, as the barometer indicates, a lifestyle and personality totally different from ours just to ‘appear the best’ to friends.”.
It also refers to the real social pressure exerted by social networks, which can affect the mental health of adolescents “in an indiscreet way and little by little.” Although he considers that We still have time “to avoid a high level of digital intoxication. Prejudices will always exist, but they can be much less than they are now. Mental health should not seem like something we cannot talk about and we should know how to get the help we need or even, on the contrary, find a way to help those closest to us.”
Alae is 16 years old and is also a member of the Unicef Spain Advisory Group. She states that “mental health issues like social anxiety and depression make us realize how important it is to treat mental health. I think it is important that mental health is addressed by both children and adults. and other entities mainly because By addressing mental health openly, prejudices and stigma are reduced partners, this increases the comfort of anyone who suffers from any problem and needs help.”
Furthermore, Alae defends the idea that addressing mental health from an early age and normalizing this issue prevents more serious future problems. “Mental health is an integral part of well-being, so you have to take care of it,” he adds.
Recommendations from Unicef Spain
To guarantee the mental well-being of the children and adolescents of our country, at Unicef we make a series of recommendations:
- Strengthen detection, early prevention and mental health care programs and services of childhood and adolescence in Primary Care and regional health systems.
- Improve knowledge and understanding, through reliable dataof the state of mental health of childhood and adolescence.
- Promote initiatives in schools, understood as protective environments, to promote student well-being and emotional learningthrough awareness or training to be able to detect problems and know how to address them.
- Support families and caregivers through training, specific resources, recommendations and support networks for families.
- Promote active listening and participation of the children and adolescents themselves.
- Raise awareness through the media to contribute to eradicate the stigma.
- Foster a digital space in terms of emotional well-being.