New Royal Children’s Hospital research has revealed a staggering half of Victorian children experience problems with anxiety.

The Royal Children’s Hospital’s National Child Health Poll reveals one-in-five kids feel anxious about going to school or kindergarten.

Paediatrician and director of the National Child Health Poll, Dr Anthea Rhodes, says given the pressures of the pandemic, it’s “perhaps not so surprising that it is so common in Victorian kids”.

“15 per cent of kids, according to parents — one-in-eight — were having big problems with anxiety, and then a further third were having some problem,” Dr Rhodes said.

The poll found only a third of parents feel comfortable distinguishing between normal worries and mental health problems in their kids.

Press PLAY below to hear more of the poll’s findings