Most students in Primary School School have problems sleeping while a third suffer from emotional difficulties, a significant study has revealed.
Half of the children aged seven to 11 who took part in the research said they were beaten at school and ate more than half a meal or vegetables every day.
A study of more than 50,000 children in Wales found mental health symptoms were more common in different families.
Researchers behind the School health research network (Shrn) The project says it is the most comprehensive look at the health and well-being of young children in Wales – and one of the most detailed ever carried out in the UK.
Lynne Neagle, the Welsh Secretary for Education, said some of the findings were sobering.
He added: “It is important that we hear directly from children and young people to better understand how they feel and what impact this has for us in shaping the future work we do.
Shrn is a partnership between the Welsh government, Cardiff University and Public Health Wales. More than 500 schools took part in the study from all 22 local authorities in Wales – almost half of all schools in the state. An independent school participated and a total of 51,662 students completed a Shrn questionnaire.
Among the findings were:
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68% of children reported having problems sleeping sometimes or often. 15% reported a bedtime of 10pm or later.
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About 30% reported “elevated or clinically significant emotional difficulties”. More girls than boys and students from low-income families report this.
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51% reported being spanked at school in the previous months. A smaller proportion of girls than boys said they had been bullied. 29% of year six students reported being shocked in the previous months.
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48% reported eating junk food at least once a day. Girls were more likely to report eating fruit daily. 37% reported eating vegetables at least once a day. Boys were less likely to report eating vegetables daily.
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69% of students reported a high level of life satisfaction. Life satisfaction decreases with increasing age. A smaller proportion of boys reported high life satisfaction than girls.
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For almost all survey questions, students who stated that they were identified as neither a boy nor a girl had poor results.
Rocio Cifuentte, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, said: “Behind every statistic is a child, and we must respond to listen because of what is being reported so well.
“How children and young people are supported in their mental health and emotional health is a key question for the Welsh government.
“Mental Health ‘One-Stop Shops’ should be available in every home health area where they can easily access help and support in dropping out of schools and preventing mental health and maintaining mental health.”
The idea is that the data is used by schools, public health officials and policies to prevent trends and help children through difficulties.
Shrn researchers say the project is unique in its scale and reach in the UK. It has previously studied secondary school pupils in Wales but this is the first to focus on Primary children.
The Welsh government says it is investing more than £13m a year in a “whole school approach” to mental health, which includes more than just school counselling. It says it will use the data to inform health and bullying policies.