Kids are being exposed to frequent yelling more than ever before, experts say

Aussie kids are being exposed to yelling more than ever before and it has experts worried about the future mental health of our nation.

Aussie kids are being exposed to yelling more than ever before and it has experts worried about the future mental health of our nation.

News Corp Australia can reveal the findings of a new report by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) that shows up to one in five Aussie kids are experiencing “frequent yelling” at home either at them by their parents, exposure to their parents yelling at each other or child-on-child yelling.

And it’s causing massive stress for children, resulting in increased anxiety, depression and lower academic performance.

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Frequent yelling has a detrimental effect on the development of children, psychologists warn.

ARACY’s To Have and To Have Not report analysed longitudinal data and cross-referenced it against a number of key measures on deprivation and opportunity among Australian children.

A total of 20 per cent of 8-9 year olds reported experiencing “frequent yelling” in the home, and this measure was 14.7 per cent of 10-11-year-olds.

“Frequent yelling” was classified by children saying they “always” experienced yelling.

Chief executive officer at ARACY, Penny Dakin, said the reasons were not clear as to why yelling was the default in many homes.
“There are likely to be a range of factors leading to yelling at home, which could be an indicator of stress within the household,” she said.

Teen parenting expert and author Michael Carr-Gregg.

Eminent child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said yelling was the least effective form of communication and produced a response in the part of the brain called the amygdala that resulted in an emotional shut down.

“Long term the impact is increased anxiety, poor self-esteem and depression,” he said.

Dr Carr-Gregg said the report should be a clear call for the government to support more awareness campaigns on positive parenting.

“Increasingly (yelling) is in our homes because time-poor, stressed parents are desperately trying to make ends meet.”

Clinical psychologist Dr Rose Cantali. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Educational and developmental psychologist Rose Cantali said yelling was more prevalent than ever.

“Children who are yelled at very quickly become emotionally fragile. They are more anxious and depressed because it is considered punitive and degrading to them,” she said.

Executive director of The Parenthood Alys Gagnon said making parents feel guilty was not the answer.

“Every parent goes through tough times and every parent will have times they need support and guidance to raise their children to thrive and be healthy,” she said.

The ARACY report also found parents who don’t have a job are setting their children up for a lifetime of failure.

Yelling in the home is having lasting impacts on children. Picture: iStock

Children from unemployed homes were found to be nearly twice as likely to be bullied or face social exclusion, more than 1.7 times more likely to face food insecurity, nearly twice as likely to lack good relationships with friends and almost two and a half times more likely to be missing out on learning at home.

ARACY said the level of Newstart and assistance for jobless families should be increased in order to help lift these children out of disadvantage.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there is only one job available for every eight people who are unemployed.

Chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Services Cassandra Goldie said Newstart had not been increased in real terms in 25 years, while the cost of raising a family, especially housing, had skyrocketed.

Chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Services Cassandra Goldie. Picture: Supplied

“No one can make ends meet on an income that is less than $15,000 a year and this is why people find it so hard to do what’s required to find their way back into paid work,” Dr Goldie said.

Entrepreneur and 2018 Australian Father of the Year, Dick Smith, said rather than increasing Newstart parents should simply get a job and be supported to do so.

“The reality is many new migrants are taking the jobs of Australians,” Mr Smith said.

“A lot more could also be done by employers too who could invest in training for Australians who want to find work.”

@pollietracker

Originally published as Kids are being exposed to frequent yelling more than ever before, experts say