Bullying of children 'prevalent'

Bullying is prevalent in the lives of nine-year-olds growing up in Ireland, according to a new report.

And parental separation has a considerable impact on children's routines, making it difficult for children to sustain a relationship with a non-resident parent.

New research from Growing Up in Ireland - The National Longitudinal Study of Children was launched this morning.

The latest research, which involved in-depth studies of 120 nine-year-olds and their families, found some children had troubled attitudes to food and to their own weight. Some children worried about moving into secondary school and others were concerned about the future including climate change and war.

Friendships played an important role in the nine-year-olds' lives, the report found. Children openly discussed bullying with interviewers. They said individual differences, including being overweight, could lead to a child being a victim of bullying.

"Bullying is a prevalent issue in the lives of children," the report found.

Those who disclosed that they had been bullied said they found the experience upsetting.

Almost three-quarters of the children who took part in the survey were living with two parents in the family home and almost a third lived with one parent. Some 19 children had experienced parental separation.

Overall, the children appeared to have very positive relationships with their parents, the report found, with most identifying a close bond with their parents.

Most children who had non-resident fathers spoke positively about their relationship with them. But in a small number of cases, the children suggested their relationship with their non-resident father was strained and most expressed a wish to see their fathers more often, the report found.

It also found children felt less close to parents who worked long hours and were less available.

The study said children's ambitions were to be healthy, to get a good job and to stay close to friends and family.

A majority of boys wanted to be professional sports players while most girls wanted to be professional performers, typically singers, dancers or actresses.

The 120 children who participated in the study were part of a larger group of 8,500 whose lives are being tracked for the longitudinal study.

The report was launched by Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, who said it was of "critical importance".