Worries of the world for children

WORRIES for the future due to major global events have sparked a large rise in the number of children in Scotland seeking help for anxiety.

New data from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) shows volunteers at ChildLine’s Glasgow and Aberdeen bases dealt with 2,350 young people with anxiety issues in 2015/16 – up by 32 per cent on the total of 1,776 the previous year.

The charity said that, as well as personal and family issues, children also had concerns about world affairs such as the EU referendum, the US election and troubles in the Middle East.

Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: “The world can be a worrying place, but we need to ensure our children are reassured rather than left overwhelmed and frightened.

“It’s only natural for children and young people to feel worried sometimes, but when they are plagued by constant fears that are resulting in panic attacks and making them not want to leave the house then they need support.

“One of the most important ways to help those that are struggling is to make sure they know they always have someone to talk to and that they never have to suffer alone, which is why ChildLine is as important now to children and

young people as when it first launched back in 1986.”

Children as young as eight have contacted the charity to talk about their fears, with girls seven times more likely to seek help for anxiety than boys.

Volunteers at Childline’s Glasgow base saw a rise in the number of counselling sessions they delivered about anxiety from 1,337 in 2014/15 to 1,843 in 2015/16.

At the Aberdeen base there were 429 counselling sessions on this issue in 2014/15, but this increased to 507 in 2015/16.

The NSPCC, which runs Childline, said that almost 12,000 children and young people across the UK were counselled over anxiety issues in the past year, compared to 8,642 in 2014/15. Childline counsellors have reassured children by getting them to talk about what they are frightened about, as well as helping them find advice and support to understand distressing events.

One teenage girl who contacted Childline said: “Things I see on the news are worrying me – things like the EU referendum and the US election, it makes me worry about my future and how things are going to change.

“I hate the idea of going to war and I don’t understand how things can be resolved this way, but it seems like that’s all that’s happening all over the world right now. I feel really sorry for the refugees because it isn’t their fault that their country is at war.”

And a young boy told counsellors: “I’m really worried about what is going on in the world. I see things on TV and it makes me sad about all the bad things that are going on.

“People have talked about a world war starting and I get really scared thinking about this.”

Another girl who contacted Childline about anxiety issues said: “I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. My emotions are out of control and I keep getting anxiety attacks.

“I get shaky and can’t breathe and it takes me ages to calm down again. I am constantly paranoid about what people think of me and I hate going out in public places.”

Childline bosses said there has also been a marked shift in how the service is used.

In 1986, most children contacted Childline by phone – 57 per cent from a phone box and 41 per cent from a landline – but more than two thirds of users now communicate with counsellors online.

The NSPCC has created a new webpage called Worries About the World which gives advice to help support children with anxiety. It has received almost 5,000 visits.