18.2.1 Promoting a happy, healthy childhood
A child who comes from a loving home is more likely to grow up into an adult who can trust other people, have good relationships and cope with life’s problems (Figure 18.1).
Figure 18.1 A happy, healthy childhood is important for later mental health (Photo: Rosa Hoekstra)
As you learned in Session 17, children who experience physical, emotional or sexual abuse have a much higher risk of developing a mental illness as an adult. Children can also suffer from the effects of bullying. Bullying is when other children say nasty things or are physically violent towards a child.
In Study Session 17 you read about things you can do when you suspect that a child is being abused (Section 17.4.1). Can you now think of some ways that you could
- a.help to prevent child abuse from happening
- b.reduce bullying in your community?
You can
- a.Educate the community about the importance of a happy, healthy childhood, e.g. by holding an awareness-raising meeting (see Section 18.6).
- b.If you have the chance to speak in a school, you can tell the teachers that (1) bullying is common; (2) bullying can lead to mental illness in the child or later when they grow up; (3) it is important to identify when bullying is taking place and do something about it. You can encourage the school to make a plan for dealing with bullying and supporting the child who is bullied.
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18.2 Mental health promotion and primary prevention