Posted: Post Date – 01:15 pm, Sat – May 21, 22
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London: Children who spend more time playing adventure may have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, a new study finds.
The study, published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, indicates that children ages 5 to 11 who spent more time playing outdoors had fewer “internalizing problems,” characterized as anxiety and depression. Those kids were also more positive during the first lockdown.
“We are more concerned than ever about children’s mental health, and our findings highlight that we could help protect children’s mental health by ensuring they have abundant opportunities for adventurous play,” said researcher Helen Dodd of the University of Exeter, who led the study.
“This is really positive because the game is free, instinctive and rewarding for children, accessible to everyone and does not require special skills. We now urgently need to invest in and protect natural spaces, well-designed parks and adventure playgrounds, to support the mental health of our children,” added Dodd.
The researchers said the study sought to test theories that adventurous play offers learning opportunities that help build resilience in children, which helps prevent mental health problems.
For the study, the research team surveyed nearly 2,500 parents of children ages 5 to 11. Parents answered questions about their children’s gaming, their general mental health (pre-Covid) and their mood during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
The research was carried out with two groups of parents, a group of 427 parents living in Northern Ireland and a nationally representative group of 1,919 parents living in the UK.
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