8 per cent of youth have social issues
Survey a red flag for demand on future mental health and disability services Snow puts fans on ski-lift high
About 8 per cent of New Zealand children have social, emotional and/or behavioural problems, and another 7 per cent are on the borderline of having issues, Ministry of Health statistics say.
The numbers have major implications for health and disability services as they could indicate future mental health issues — the largest contributor to disability statistics for 15- to 24-year-olds and about 35 per cent of all health issues for people of that age.
That 8 per cent figure represents about 57,000 people and suggests better screening of children for mental health issues is needed to ensure no-one missed out on treatment.
Issues identified included emotional symptoms, peer problems, hyperactivity and conduct problems.
“It is possible to detect social, emotional and behavioural difficulties at an early age, which may be indicative of an underlying mental health problem,” a new ministry report said. “Being able to do so is important as it provides opportunities for intervention.
“Early intervention in response to difficulties can reduce the risk or severity of certain types of mental disorders later in childhood, adolescence or adulthood.”
A government-ordered inquiry into mental health and addiction services is now holding public meetings around New Zealand gathering information for a report due on October 31.
Its terms of reference highlight youth as a key group for consideration.
The ministry report was based on information collected through the New Zealand Health Survey over a three-year period, using a sample of 10,457 children.
Children were assessed through a “strengths and difficulties questionnaire”, an internationally used tool to chart children’s development.
Boys were more likely to have concerning total difficulty scores than girls and Maori children were more likely to have concerning scores than non-Maori children.
Asian children were less likely to be experiencing difficulties than nonAsian children. Scores were comparable for Pacific Island and non-Pacific Island children.— The Remarkables ski field near Queenstown got down to business yesterday, 48 hours early.
Regular snow over the last few weeks and busy work with snowmaking gear gave field managers confidence that most runs were ready for customers.
Area manager Ross Lawrence said: “We have been grooming and preparing trails. It’s great to see so many snow addicts up here getting back on the boards and boots, and loving it.”
Two other Central Otago fields have held pre-season open days after early winter snow and cold days created promising conditions on the slopes. Coronet Peak and Cardrona held one-off opening days ahead of scheduled June 16 openings.
A warm front is expected to push northwards over the country during the day, WeatherWatch says, although another front coming through will keep temperatures down.
Meanwhile the country can expect more settled but still cold weather in the weekend after gales and heavy rain.
WeatherWatch’s Aaron Wilkinson said a large high in the Tasman Sea was directing a southwesterly airflow over New Zealand. MetService said the front, which produced snow to low levels in the South Island was crossing the North Island. “Significant snow” was expected in parts of central North Island above 500m, with 5cm-8cm expected at the top of Desert Rd.