Mental Health and Wellbeing of Infants, Children, and Young People JSNA (2023) - Publications

Warwickshire has an estimated 171,000 0–25-year-olds which makes up 28.5% of the total population. It is estimated this will increase by 14% between 2018 and 2043.

Numbers of young people within each single year of age increases in the early ages, peaking at 10 years old before then falling. Warwickshire has fewer young people at the age of 18 and 19, except in Warwick District where numbers increase due to students moving to the area.

Warwickshire’s younger population is more ethnically diverse than other age groups. Nearly 86% of children and young people in Warwickshire reported their ethnicities with the “white” category, which is lower than 92.8% for those aged 26+.

0.8% of 16-24-year-olds said their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth, equating to 465 young people. A further 5.93% did not answer the question.

Whilst nationally there has been a decrease in the proportion of young people smoking cigarettes and using illicit drugs there is a clear relationship between substance use and life satisfaction, happiness, and anxiety.

There is a clear association between BMI and emotional problems, with obesity at age seven years old a risk factor for emotional distress at 11 year-olds, and in turn, mental health conditions when younger predicting high BMI at 14 years-old.

Mental health concerns are higher in both young mothers and fathers. Young mothers experience postpartum depression rates up to double that of adult mothers, and 1 in 3 young fathers want support for their mental health.

Having a poor support network is linked to loneliness and increases the risk of alcohol use, depression, and death by suicide. 5.2% of children aged 11-16 years reported feeling lonely often or always, increasing to 12.6% in 17-22 year-olds. This was higher in girls than boys.

1 in 4 young people aged 12-18 said they had been bullied in the past 12 months. Of those, 3 in 5 said it had a moderate to extreme impact on their mental health.

Social media and the internet can have both a positive and negative impact on children and young people’s mental health. Large amounts of time spent on social media per week day increase the risk of depression.

In 2021/22, 1 in 10 children in year 9 in Warwickshire said they never like their body, with 1 in 3 saying they only sometimes like their body. Dissatisfaction with body image is linked with mental health conditions and risk-taking behaviours.

Some young people may be at a higher risk of experiencing mental health challenges, including those providing care, those experiencing domestic abuse, those who identify as LGBTQ+, those from migrant communities, children who are looked after, children with long term and life limiting conditions, and those who experience loss and bereavement.

Common mental health disorders and severe mental illness both have a pronounced gradient with deprivation and inequalities. The poorest 20% of households are four times as likely to have serious mental health difficulties by the age of 11 as those from the wealthiest 20%.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the lives of children and young people with challenges such as lockdowns, school closures and home learning and social distancing. Evidence indicates the pandemic has a much deeper impact on the wellbeing of young people compared to adults.

Research has shown that the cost of living is a major worry for children and young people. One survey showed 80% of those aged 20-25 always or often worry about earning enough.

Climate change has been identified as a concern from engagement with children and young people in Warwickshire. A national survey showed that 70% of young people find the future frightening because of climate change.

Since 2017 there has been a significant increase in the percentage of young people who are estimated to experience a common mental health disorder.

22.6% of females and 14.4% of males aged 17-24 nationally were at risk for psychotic-like experiences in 2022.

There has been an increase in the percentage of children and young people screening positive for possible eating problems, with 76% of females aged 17-19 screening positive in 2022 compared to 61% in 2017.

1 in 3 17-24 year-olds have tried to harm themselves, with that number being higher for females (43%) than males (23%). Just over 1 in 10 11-16 year-olds have tried to harm themselves, with this being higher for females (15%) compared to males (7%).

In 2021/22, up to 65% of children and young people in Warwickshire with a probable mental disorder were not in contact with a secondary mental health service. This varies across different age ranges, with lowest proportion in contact with a mental health service being the 17-23 year-old age group.

The number of 0-17 year-olds in Warwickshire accessing mental health services has been increasing. For those aged 5-17 there is a particular increase which aligns with the start of the lockdowns in the first year of the pandemic.

At a younger age those accessing mental health services in Warwickshire are predominately male, with around 70% of those accessing between the ages of 2-4 years being male. At the ages of 11-12 there is a rise in the percentage of females, and at age 14 around 65% of those accessing service are female. From 14 to 24 years, the percentage of females accessing services is higher than males.

Service waiting times in 2021/22 reflected the increase in both demand and complexity of children and young people mental health needs. There was a significant increase in referrals for children and young people crisis care and eating disorders, with the demand for these services greater than the pre COVID commissioned capacity.

The Rise crisis telephone helpline is run by the Rise Crisis and Home Treatment team who provide multi-disciplinary support to children and young people under the age of 18 years. In Warwickshire, months where educational pressures peak (such as during exams) and months with transition points (such as the start of the school year) show an increase in the number of calls received.

Admissions for children and young people in acute settings having self-harmed in 2021/22 peak at the age of 14 years with 71 admissions. The admissions are female dominated, particularly between the ages of 13-16 years, with just over 60 of the 71 admissions at age 14 being for females.

Out of 352 admissions for self-harm, 303 of those were from intentional self-poisoning. Over half (52.8% or 186) self-harm admissions were reported as 4-amniophenol derivatives which includes paracetamol.

Admissions for children and young people with a mental health disorder diagnosis in 2021/22 shows a steady increase throughout the 0-24 age ranges, with a peak at age 23.