Girls much more likely than boys to have low mood, national study shows

The majority of 13-year-olds have settled well into secondary school and feel supported by friends and family, despite the disruption the Covid-19 pandemic caused in their lives, a new study has found.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on Monday published a new Growing Up in Ireland report on the lives of 13-year-olds. Growing Up in Ireland is a national longitudinal study of children and young people and is a joint project of the department and the Central Statistics Office.

The report draws on a survey of telephone interviews of 6,375 13-year-olds and their caregivers between July 2021 and June 2022, during which time Covid pandemic restrictions fluctuated.

According to the study, the vast majority of 13-year-olds had made the transition to secondary school and almost all agreed that they had made new friends (97 per cent), were getting on well with schoolwork (92 per cent) and were settling in well (96 per cent).

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The majority of 13-year-olds were healthy, felt supported by friends and family and participated in a range of pastimes. Some young people were struggling in one or more areas, however.

Girls were much more likely than boys to have low mood (21 per cent compared with 8 per cent), lower self-esteem and parents observed symptoms of emotional distress.

While it is recommended that young people consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, only 11 per cent of 13-year-olds achieved that target on a typical day – with usually two or three portions being eaten.

One-parent families were more likely to face socioeconomic challenges such as being in the lowest income bracket, being in rented housing, having difficulty making ends meet and not having degree-level education.

The researchers found that young people living in socially disadvantaged households took part in fewer in organised team sports, have less access to computers suitable for home learning and are more likely to have a chronic health condition.

Families who were in the lowest income group when their child was aged nine were the least likely to say they were better off by the time the child was 13 (35 per cent).

By contrast, more than half of families who were in the highest income group when their child was nine said they were better off by the time the child was 13.

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman said he was “struck by the complexity of the social world of 13-year-olds”.

“They were dealing with the usual ups and downs of long-standing relationships with parents and siblings while negotiating multiple new relationships with teachers and peers as a result of the transition to secondary school,” he said.

“This was after a prolonged period of reduced social interactions due to Covid and also in the context of simultaneously managing interactions online and face to face.”

Mr O’Gorman said the key findings show the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on children’s lives, which will inform “priority work” work across government to tackle child poverty.