Rise in emotional problems in girls, says study.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Sexualized images of women in advertising and social media are leading to an increase in emotional problems among young girls in Britain, reported the Daily Mail, citing figures published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The jump “may be linked to stress brought on by seeing images of women portrayed as sex objects on Facebook, Twitter and other websites,” believe researchers from University College London.
The study from which the data was derived compared the mental health of school children in 2014 with a sample from 2009.
The girls and boys were asked to identify how often they worry, feel unhappy, get nervous, lose confidence, feel scared or suffer from headaches and sickness.
It found that there are now an average of three girls in every 2014 classroom felt sad or nervous, compared to just one or two in a 2009 class. The number of schoolgirls likely to suffer emotional problems also rose from 13 percent in the 2009 study to 20 percent.
“Five years is a relatively short period of time, so we were surprised to see such a sharp spike in emotional problems among girls,” lead author Dr. Elian Fink told the Daily Mail.
“This study highlights the significant and growing emotional problems reported by young girls today,” said co-author Dr. Miranda Wolpert “We can’t say for sure why problems are increasing, but there are many factors that could contribute — these include increasing stresses on girls and young women, ranging from academic pressure to their increasing sexualization and objectification amplified by social media.”