According to a study published in the journal Mental Health and Social Inclusion, researchers from the University of East Anglia in the U.K. found that people with more literacy tend to have better social outcomes in terms of mental and physical health, employment, financial stability, and housing and food security.
The research pulled together data from 19 studies from nine different countries that involved almost two million people and is considered to be the first look at the global picture of mental health and literacy.
Here at Airdrie Public Library (APL), we’ve long understood the connection between literacy and better life opportunities.
Teaching literacy skills at an early age improves a child’s ability to understand what they read, and to express how they feel. These two abilities are critical, because if we cannot express how we feel, research shows that this can lead to feelings of helplessness and loneliness, which can lead to anxiety and depression.
Reading to children also connects the reader to the child. It teaches compassion by giving your child a window on the experiences and feelings of the characters in the story.
In a way, reading is like accessing an emotional library.
Through reading, you’ll find collections of joy, anger, shame, grief – all the many faces of the human experience. With each emotional collection you explore, your child learns more about themselves and others, and they become better equipped to manage the ups and downs of life.
While the study could not definitively conclude that poor literacy causes poor mental health, the data showed a strong association between them in countries that have high literacy rates and those that don’t.
Libraries and schools have long known that low literacy levels hold a person back throughout their life, which is why access to literacy and learning is so vital to a healthy society.
For more information on your library’s literacy-based programs, visit us at airdriepubliclibrary.ca
