41.1% of Spanish adolescents (4 out of 10) say they have had or believe they have had a mental health problem in the last 12 months and, of them, one in three has not spoken to anyone about said problems and more. Of half have not asked for help, according to an opinion barometer published this Tuesday by UNICEF.
The study, titled ‘Mental health is a matter for boys, girls and adolescents’ and developed based on the opinions of 4,740 adolescents aged 13 to 18 from 168 educational centers throughout Spain, reveals, among the reasons why they do not ask help: the desire to keep their mental health problems a secret (60%) or a lack of trust in the staff at their educational center (55.9%).
Likewise, more than 4 in 10 adolescents consider that their mental health problems are not important, they do not know what is happening to them or they do not know who or where to turn.
On the other hand, among those who decide to ask for help, they turn to their friends (73.6%), to professional psychological help (60.8%), to professionals from the educational center (34%), to professionals from the medicine and psychiatry (30%), or to professionals on the Internet and social networks (32.7%).
78% would be friends with another boy with mental health problems
Asked about their perception of people who suffer from a mental health problem, almost 8 out of 10 (78.5%) say they would maintain a friendship with someone their age who is visiting or has visited a mental health professional, and one 25.8% think that people with mental health problems feel shame (25.8%).
Regarding negative beliefs surrounding these types of situations, according to the report, 16.2% of adolescents say they agree or totally agree that people their age with mental health problems do not behave as well as the rest of the class; 14.9% would not like there to be a mental health center on their street and 12.9% consider that having such a center nearby would make them feel unsafe.
Regarding the factors that favor the well-being and mental health of people their age, 3 out of 4 adolescents interviewed highlighted sleep habits as the main element (74.9%). In second place, physical exercise appears (62.3%), followed by a balanced diet (50.6%), percentages that increase the higher the socioeconomic level of the respondents.
Regarding external factors, having a good relationship with parents (82.6%) and the support of close people (82%) stand out, as well as doing things that they like or make them feel good (78.6%). Satisfaction with the educational center (58.9%) is the least valued external factor. Likewise, more girls (69.1%) than boys (58.5%) consider that talking to people they know about their worries and feelings is an element that improves mental health.
Regarding the factors that most affect mental health, adolescents highlight as most important having low self-esteem (67.9%), consuming alcohol or other drugs (66.1%), having physical health problems (58. 5%) and having economic difficulties (56.7%). Meanwhile, 32.3% of boys and girls believe that using the mobile phone or the Internet too much harms their mental health.
Furthermore, the data show that girls perceive a greater negative impact on mental health in aspects such as having low self-esteem (58.6% in boys and 77.8% in girls), feeling a lack of clarity regarding orientation or sexual identity (32.4% in boys and 42.5% in girls) or feeling uncertainty about the future (38.8% in boys and 46.2% in girls).
External factors include being a victim of bullying or cyberbullying (80.1%) and having family problems (77.1%). Meanwhile, 13% of adolescent boys and girls consider that issues related to the environment and climate change harm mental health.
Girls feel more pressure about their physique
Likewise, the report reveals that girls 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.
Asked about the frequency of use of social networks and how the interactions and information they find on these platforms affects their mental health, the study shows that, despite the fact that, in general, information on the subject does not stresses, many claim to feel the need to show a perfect life, especially adolescent girls.
Specifically, 98.5% of adolescents claim to have ever used Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter/X, Wattpad, WhatsApp or YouTube; and 3 out of 4 say that they have never felt overwhelmed or stressed by the amount of information received about mental health (73.5%) and that they have used social networks to express their own experiences and thoughts related to this topic (70%). .
Almost the same percentage (68.1%) says they have not felt the need to show a perfect and problem-free life in the online world, even if it is not true.
Regarding those who do experience stress due to the amount of information about mental health they find on social networks, it is observed that discomfort increases with age; and, regarding gender differences, more than twice as many girls (34.3%) as boys (13.3%) compare themselves to the profiles of people who show perfect lives and who appear to have good mental health on social media. social.
On the other hand, 42.7% of adolescents consider that it is useful to read news on social networks to find out about mental health problems, and 1 in 3 (36.4%) claim to have found useful resources for their mental health through of social networks.
Meanwhile, more than half of those interviewed perceive platforms such as Twitter/X (56.3%), TikTok (55.4%) and Instagram (52.1%) as very or quite dangerous for mental health.
After analyzing the opinions about the mental health of the boys and girls surveyed, UNICEF Spain proposes a series of recommendations with the aim of addressing the challenges detected and promoting a more favorable environment for the mental and emotional development of children and adolescents.
Among others, they include: strengthening prevention, early detection and mental health care programs and services in the field of Primary Health Care; have updated, comparable and disaggregated official data; provide tools in schools to prevent emotional distress; promote the regulation and enabling training of the figure of the Child Welfare and Protection Coordinator; enhance the participation of minors in social awareness campaigns on mental health and the eradication of stigma; support families and caregivers, and encourage digital platforms and services to establish access controls by age.