Children who play adventurously develop better mental health, says research

According to new research, children who played adventure games showed fewer signs of depression or anxiety and are happier with the first Covid-19 lockdown. A study published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, led by the University of Exeter, asked parents how often their children engaged in exciting and exciting games, experienced fear or uncertainty.

The study comes at a time when children today have fewer opportunities for adventure games such as riding bikes, climbing trees, jumping from high places or playing in places that were out of sight of adults. According to the study, it sought to prove that adventurous play offered more learning opportunities, which helped build resilience in children and helped prevent mental health problems.

With the help of funding from UKRI Future Leaders, the research team surveyed nearly 2,500 parents of children aged 5 to 11, while the parents completed questions about childhood play regarding general mental health (pre-Covid ) and your mood. during the first confinement by Covid-19.

The research was carried out on two groups of parents, one from Northern Ireland with 427 parents and the nationally representative group of 1,919 parents living in Wales, England and Scotland.

The researchers went on to find that children who had spent more time playing outdoors had fewer features of depression or anxiety and were more positive during the first lockdown.