Wellbeing of older teenage girls is ‘deeply troubling,’ research finds

Photo: Getty

Eilish O' Regan

Research on the wellbeing, happiness and life satisfaction, particularly among older teenage girls has been described as "deeply troubling".

It follows a study by University of Galway into the health behaviours of children and adolescents in Ireland.

It found 54pc of 10 to 17 year-old girls report high life satisfaction, compared to 69pc of boys. Some 22pc of girls and 33pc of boys report feeling very happy with their lives.

Overall, 20pc of children report feeling lonely most of the time or always in the past 12 months.

Girls, older children and children from lower social class groups are more likely to report feeling lonely most of the time in the last year.

Commenting on the findings, Aoife Gavin, senior researcher at the Health Promotion Research Centre, and lead author of the report said: “Findings concerning wellbeing, happiness and life satisfaction, particularly among older teenage girls are deeply troubling.

"While the impact of Covid-19 can be seen to exacerbate these challenges, it’s crucial to recognise that this trend existed pre-pandemic.

"This is now a longstanding issue requiring immediate attention and while further research is underway to understand these findings, interventions are imperative to reverse this concerning trajectory and to ensure the wellbeing of our youth."

Some 18pc of children have gone to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food in the house, slightly down from 19pc in 2018.

One in four 15 to 17 year-olds report ever having sex and 48pc said they used a condom the last time they had intercourse, down from 62pc in 2018.

Professor Colette Kelly, Director of the Health Promotion Research Centre at University of Galway, said "these insights provide a critical understanding of children's health behaviours during a time of unprecedented challenges”.

"Overall, the findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and supports to ensure the well-being of Ireland's youth, for example there are indications of a positive shift in healthy eating, yet far too many children go hungry at times," she said.

"One concerning trend is that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds consistently report more negative health outcomes. This highlights the urgent need to address health disparities and to ensure equitable access to resources for all children.”

Dr Andras Kolto, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at the Health Promotion Research Centre at University of Galway, added: “The decline in condom use, and overall contraception use among adolescents is alarming.

"With only 48pc reporting condom use at the last sexual intercourse, and a notable increase in those using no contraception, urgent action is needed to address relationships and sexuality education in schools, to enhance education for young people and increase access to resources, such as sexual health services for our youth.”

Professor Kelly added that "this data is not merely numbers – it is the foundation upon which effective policy and society changes are built”.

"Without robust data and thorough analysis, we cannot hope to enact meaningful improvements in the lives of children in Ireland. Our ambition remains clear: to collect data that informs evidence-based recommendations, driving positive policy changes that will enhance the well-being of future generations,” she said.