Macquarie Institute Australia - Article Library

Article: One in five Aust kids suffer from anxiety

AAP NEWSFEED, June 13, 2002, Thursday
BYLINE: By Judy Skatssoon, Health and Medical Writer DATELINE: BRISBANE, June 13

One in five Australian children suffer from serious anxiety and risk turning into depressed, suicidal teenagers, a conference heard today.

In a keynote address to an international child and adolescent mental health conference in Brisbane, Professor Paula Barrett of Queensland's Griffith University said the figures represented a worldwide trend in childhood anxiety.

"We know from studies both in Australia, the US and a variety of countries in Europe that approximately one in every five children will experience a significant degree of impediment as a result of anxiety," she said. Childhood anxiety was a major psychological risk factor for depression and could lead to suicide - particularly in young males - without early intervention.

Prof Barrett said schools should consider introducing "anti-anxiety" lessons as part of the curriculum to help turn the tide.

"Early intervention or prevention of anxiety may be critical in the prevention of depression and suicide and the school setting is obviously the best window of opportunity," she said.

Prof Barrett said family factors during early childhood and experiences in late primary school, such as bullying and lack of acceptance by peers, played a key role in childhood anxiety and depression.

Some children also became particularly distressed by traumatic events that didn't touch them directly, such as reporting of the September 11 terrorist attacks, or the death of a classmate.

Prof Barrett said there was evidence that some children were born more prone to stress and anxiety than others.

She said if five children - as young as six months old - are taken into a room and the light is switched off, or a strange person enters the room, on average one will experience longer and more severe symptoms of stress such as increased heart rate, sweating and crying.

However, this sensitivity could be mitigated by a stable, nurturing relationship with family and peers.

"Being born sensitive seems to be a risk factor but if you've got a supportive family and a supportive peer network these are protective factors that help the child cope quite well with life," she said.

Prof Barrett said sleep deprivation and overstimulation could increase a child's sensitivity to stress.

Beginning school too early, when a child was not socially or emotionally ready, could also cause anxiety problems, she said.

Prof Barrett devised a program for teaching primary and high school children how to become "emotionally articulate" in 1999.

The program has gained international recognition and been successfully introduced into some Queensland schools.