How did mental health differ by language used at home among children in a Japanese city?

Details

Little is known about the mental health of children in Japan whose roots are in foreign countries. Differences in the languages used every day may make adaptation difficult for these children. Researchers aimed to examine the mental health of children who use foreign languages at home through a cross-sectional survey in a large cohort.

The survey involved children attending public elementary and junior high schools in a large city in Japan. Data were received from 20,596 elementary school-aged children above 4th grade and 19,464 junior high school-aged children. The researchers compared mental health status using the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 across groups who used only Japanese, only foreign languages, or both at home.

Children who used foreign languages at home had worse mental health status than children who used only Japanese at home. Among children who used only foreign languages at home, mental health status was slightly better in junior high school-aged children than in elementary school-aged children. This tendency was not observed among children who used both languages at home.

The researchers concluded that the results suggest children in Japanese society who use foreign languages at home have worse mental health and that support is needed for these children living in Japan.