Joint launch of research shows challenges that adolescents are experiencing

GUI Sensitive Key Findings Report & HRB GUI Drug & Alcohol Analysis Project.

Today, Minister of State at the Department of Health, Colm Burke, launched research that provides evidence on some of the challenges for young people across a range of issues. This joint launch presents findings from two key research projects, the latest report from DCEDIY’s Growing Up in Ireland, Key Findings from the Self-Complete Survey with Cohort ’08 at 13, and the latest findings from the Health Research Board project, the Growing Up in Ireland Drug and Alcohol Analysis Study.

Growing Up in Ireland has been following the progress of over 6,000 children born in 2008 since they were babies. In 2021/22, when these children were aged 13 years – and just emerging from the rigours of the COVID-19 pandemic – they and their parents were interviewed on a range of topics including health, school, relationships and their general well-being. As part of that survey, 13-year-olds and their parents self-completed some questions on the challenges of early adolescence including smoking, drinking and vaping; sex and relationship issues; bullying; mental health and family relationships. The report launched today, Key Findings from the Self-Complete Survey with Cohort ’08 at 13, provides a first look at what young people and parents told us about these challenging issues, and illustrates some of the patterns emerging for boys and girls, and families with more or less socio-economic advantage. For example:

• nearly 10% of 13-year-olds had tried vaping, which was more common than experimenting with smoking. Young people who had a parent who vaped (or smoked) were more likely to try vaping (15%)
• just over half (55%) of 13-year-olds had discussed sex or relationship issues with a parent. When asked who they would go for information or advice on these issues, 37% of 13-year-olds said they would go to their mother, 17% to friends, 13% to the internet and 8% to their father. A further 8% said there wasn’t anywhere they would go for information or advice on sex and relationships
• when 13-year-olds were asked about their recent experience of bullying behaviours, 34% had experienced exclusion (being left out), 33% had been subjected to name-calling or hurtful slagging and 30% had been pushed, shoved or slapped. However, only 9% of 13-year-olds actually described themselves as being a victim of bullying
• a majority (77%) of 13-year-olds said they got on ‘very well’ with the parent who usually looked after them; but boys were more positive than girls (83% vs 70%)
• when asked what they were looking forward to about being an adult, 32% of 13-year-olds said ‘travelling to different countries’. This was the most popular choice, followed by ‘living in my own place’ (18%) and ‘getting a job’ (16%)

Separately, the Health Research Board have commissioned a research project to analyse Growing up in Ireland, as part of the programme of monitoring and supporting the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy. The project aims to identify factors associated with substance (alcohol and drugs) use behaviour amongst Irish children and young people, and predict the health, social, cognitive, and emotional consequences of substance use too. Ultimately, the project is intended to provide policymakers and practitioners with evidence that will enable them to identify patterns in substance use among children and young people and design evidence-based and targeted interventions in the most appropriate settings.

The research team, led by the Discipline of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College Dublin, presented new findings from the project, covering drug and alcohol usage in later adolescence, and the association between adverse childhood experiences and substance use.

The launch of these research findings took place at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, researchers presented their findings to an audience of policy makers. Comhairle na nÓg (local youth councils) were represented by young people who welcomed the research and spoke about how this evidence supports efforts by these youth councils across the country to influence government policy on substance use, health and well-being and sex education.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman said:

Colm Burke, Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, said:

About the Growing Up in Ireland study

Growing Up in Ireland, established by the government in 2006, is the national longitudinal study of children and young people, carried out jointly by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Children and their families are revisited every few years to complete interviews. The study originally had two cohorts, one born in 1998 and another born in 2008, a third cohort will be added in late 2024.

About this report

The Growing Up in Ireland report launched by the Research and Evaluation team based in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth today explores emerging challenges for young people in Ireland who turned 13 years old in 2021, during the period of the pandemic. These young people (and their parents) were asked about their experiences of smoking, vaping, drinking, anti-social behaviours as well as their mental health, and relationships with family and peers. Because the older Cohort '98 were asked similar questions 10 years previously, for many issues it is possible to compare the two sets of 13-year-olds a decade apart.

Queries and further information available by contacting press.office@equality.gov.ie

The report will be available to download from https://www.growingup.gov.ie/ from Thursday at 10.30am.

About the HRB report being presented at the same event

The HRB-commissioned project explores risky health behaviours in that older GUI cohort (Cohort ’98), reporting on their engagement with alcohol and drugs slightly later in adolescence (17-20yrs). Data from the Growing Up in Ireland surveys is made available to other researchers on an anonymised basis via the Irish Social Sciences Data Archive and the Central Statistics Office.