Youngest in class - prone to stress

The youngest children in any school year face more stress than their older peers and are at greater risk of developing mental illness, scientists have found. The stress is not huge like family problems, trauma or being in an accident but of moderate grade and, given that it applies to a lot of children, is a serious health threat. Researchers from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at King's College, London, did a survey of more than 10,000 children in Britain between the ages of 5 and 15 and showed that regardless of when their school year began, if they were the youngest in the class they faced greater stress. In England the oldest children in the school year are born in September, with the youngest in August. By contrast in Scotland the oldest are born in March and the youngest in February. But there were no differences in the findings between the different school years. The survey involved questions to children, parents and teachers covering all aspects from their emotions to social behaviour and peer relations. The study found a greater incidence of mental health problems among the school year youngsters than among their older colleagues. This was true all the way through the age range in the study. Other studies have also found that the younger in the school class tend to have lower levels of university entrance. The study showed the need for greater flexibility among schools and policy makers on cut-off dates for school year entry - perhaps allowing an extra year of pre-school for a child who would otherwise be the class fledgling.

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