Teen girls have lowest score as health declines
The mental wellbeing of some Scottish teenagers has declined, a survey has found, with girls aged 15 continuing to have the lowest scores.
More than 21,000 S2 and S4 pupils were surveyed on a range of topics around mental health between September 2018 and April last year.
The Scottish schools adolescent lifestyle and substance use survey (Salsus) report also looked into smoking, drinking and drug use among teenagers. Average mental wellbeing scores fell across all groups from the previous time the survey was conducted in 2015, with the figure going from 48.4 to 46.9.
The fall was greatest among 13-year-old girls and 15-yearold boys.
The report said: “However, 15-year-old girls continue to have the lowest wellbeing score, as they have since 2010.”
Those living in deprived areas and those who were less likely to talk to their parents had lower levels of mental wellbeing. There was a “marked increase” in pupils who thought it was OK to try drinking alcohol and a small increase in those who thought it was OK to try smoking.
Responding to the survey, mental health minister Claire Haughey said: “We want all young people to be able to be supported to have good mental wellbeing.
“Research shows there are a number of drivers that may negatively impact mental health in teenagers, including social media use and disrupted sleep, among other issues.”
The charity Young Scot has been given £105,000 by the Scottish Government to create a digital campaign promoting mental health.