Unhappy family damaging to children’s well-being
- Feb. 8, 2010
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Keywords:
- child
- family
- unhappy
- well-being
- Not rated
A study by charity Children’s Society says that unhappiness in children is likely to be caused by family arguments with the conflict said to be severely more damaging than whether or not they live with married parents
Children’s Society recorded how children experienced happiness on a scale of 0 to 10 and found 7 per cent of children to be “significantly” unhappy; based on 7,000 children in England aged between the ages of 10 and 15.
Chief Executive of the charity, Bob Reitemeier, said of the report that it was a stark reminder that our actions as adults can have a profound impact on children’s well-being:
"Family conflict emerges in this study as a major cause of childhood unhappiness, and so it is vital that families can get the sort of family mediation and counselling the Children's Society offers to help them resolve and avoid conflicts.”
The survey found living in a happy household was a major positive factor in a child’s sense of well-being and general happiness.
Jonathan Bradshaw, the survey's co-author, said the survey establishes a valuable benchmark that we can use to track changes in well-being over time.
The experience of separation also reduced happiness in children surveyed, pushing the ‘rate’ of happiness down on the scale to 6.8 out of 10.
Updated guidelines for the new curriculum published this week emphasises the importance of marriage and strong relationships. See news item now >
