Positive link between literary activity and mental health

New research from the National Literacy Trust (NLT) charity has made a strong case for a positive link between literary activity and mental health. The report claims that those school pupils who enjoy reading, and engage in writing for pleasure, are three times as likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than their peers who find the activities a chore. Statistics in the report disclose that 39.4 per cent of the pupils who enjoyed reading and writing had high levels of mental health and wellbeing, compared to just 11.8 per cent of who died not enjoy the activity.

The report makes the bold claim that those children who are less engaged in reading in writing will be more likely to struggle with mental health. More than 50,000 children were polled in the survey, with the results showing that 40.3 per cent of those children with higher than expected reading skills had above average levels of mental wellbeing; while just 13.1 percent of those children with lower than expected reading skills had comparable levels of wellbeing.

Members of the National Literary Trust were quick to stress to vital importance of reading and writing in children`s lives:

`Children and young people today face a multitude of pressures at school, at home and in their social lives.`

Jonathan Douglas, the director of the NLT, went on to say that teachers and parents must do all they can to encourage children to develop good literary skills:

`It is imperative that we do everything we can to enable our children to develop the resilience they need to cope with life`s challenges – and our latest research shows that the joys of reading and writing can be hugely beneficial.`

The report had some interesting, and disconcerting, information about how able children were at dealing with stress and anxiety in their lives. It found that more than a quarter didn`t know how to adequately deal with stress, and that more than one in five children were unhappy with their life.

The importance of reading in a child`s cognitive development has been understood for decades. Stories help enrich and develop a child`s imagination - they give them the opportunity to imagine themselves in a multitude of different scenarios, testing and expanding their moral compass
, while allowing them to emphasise with different characters in the story.

The general secretary of school leaders` union NAHT Paul Whitman, who recently replaced Russell Hobby, recently commented on the report:

`The importance of reading for pleasure is well understood. Schools devote time to this, to allow pupils to become lost in a good book, as the saying goes.`

`But this time is in danger of getting lost now, too. Changes to the curriculum and higher stakes tests and exams mean that reading for pleasure can be squeezed out of the school day.

`This disadvantages low income families the most, because school is a point of free access to books and often those children who would benefit the most from reading for pleasure don`t have that many books at home to choose from.`

The report discloses that pupils in Greater London, the North East, and the West Midlands had the highest levels of mental wellbeing, compared to children in the South West and Yorkshire who had the lowest.

I have not had an opportunity to read the report for myself at the time of writing - it seems to be too elusive for my acquisition. Of course reading and writing are important for a child`s development - it enriches their very thought processes, widens their vocabulary, and of course is thoroughly entertaining! I suspect the link between mental health and literacy activity will have to be researched more fully, before any definitive claims can be made. After all, some of the most famous writers are well known for being amongst the most morose of characters!