Health
Psychosomatic complaints among school children are increasing
Schoolchildren in Germany are increasingly reporting psychosomatic complaints. photo
© Annette Riedl/dpa
Headaches, irritability, problems falling asleep: According to a study, such complaints are increasingly common among school children. Effects from crises such as the corona pandemic are also suspected.
Since the 2009/10 school year, eleven to 15-year-olds have been surveyed every four years. In total, around 22,000 children and young people filled out questionnaires, including around 6,500 in the most recent survey in 2022.
Continuous increase in complaints
The children were specifically asked how often they had, for example, headaches, stomach aches or back pains in the past six months. Depression, nervousness or problems falling asleep were also asked.
Overall, the study observed a continuous increase in a variety of psychosomatic complaints – which can include stomach aches or headaches, problems falling asleep or irritability. However, there is a significant jump between 2017/18 and 2022, reports the team led by Franziska Reiß and Steven Behn from the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). “This could be attributed, among other things, to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the study says. With a view to further investigations, it is also noted that many young people in Germany also felt burdened by the climate and energy crises as well as the war in Ukraine.
But also high life satisfaction
However, when the researchers asked the children and young people directly about their health in 2022, the majority had good values and high life satisfaction. However, there are also cuts here: the proportion of those with poor subjective health and low life satisfaction has increased significantly compared to the 2017/18 wave.
The HBSC study is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), and in Germany a study network is dealing with it at several locations. Each involves different aspects, such as physical activity and bullying.
The first international surveys were carried out in the 1980s. More than 50 countries in Europe and North America and over 450 researchers are now involved. It is one of the largest studies on child and adolescent health in the world, according to the “Journal of Health Monitoring”. In an editorial, today’s challenges include poor mental health, dealing with crises, the influence of social media, climate change and increasing social and health inequality.