Research shows emotional safety is as important as physical~

Garden City, NY December 12, 2003 -- What does safety mean to girls? What makes girls feel safe? Why does feeling safe matter so much? These are the questions addressed in the Girl Scouts of the USA's recent research report, "Feeling Safe -- What Girls Say."

The report reveals important findings on how girls ages 8-17 feel about emotional safety, physical safety, trust, the costs of feeling unsafe and coping strategies.

"A broken arm can heal, but what about a broken heart?" said an anonymous 12-year old girl. "Words can hurt a lot."

The research indicates that feeling emotionally safe is as important as feeling physically safe and that emotional threats can have negative effects on a girl's quality of life. In fact, 45% of girls ages 13-17 consider speaking or participating in class a threat to their emotional safety, and more than 30% expressed concerns about being teased, bullied or threatened during a typical day.

"The report implies that a typically safe environment, such as the classroom, the sports field or group meetings can cause anxiety in girls," said Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. "It also reveals that this anxiety can lead to depression, loneliness, problems paying attention in school and difficulty making decisions."

"Feeling Safe -- What Girls Say" distinguishes differences between preteens and teenagers. For example teens are most concerned that they will be attacked with a weapon (35%), be forced into a sexual act (34%), get a disease (32%) or get into a car accident (29%). Preteens are worried about being teased or made fun of (41%) being kidnapped (24%) natural disasters (24%) or being gossiped about (23%).

"The more adults know about how girls think about safety, the better they will be able to help them develop coping strategies for physical or emotional threats," said Ms. Ceravolo.

The research suggests that in order to help girls deal with threats to physical or emotional safety parents should be proactive about asking how they are feeling, even when they don't want to talk. Parents and children should work together to establish healthy guidelines for behavior without judging, threatening or belittling; and take emotional harm seriously, teasing, gossiping, and name-calling should be addressed by adults.

Girl Scouts is a contemporary movement that helps girls discover fun, friendship and the power of girls together. With more than 22,000 girls growing strong, Girl Scouts of Nassau County is big and keeps growing every day. The organization seeks to give all girls in Nassau County the opportunity to realize their full potential. We change lives.

Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County speaks often to community groups throughout Nassau County. Groups include PTAs, Kiwanis Rotary, Libraries and Lions Clubs. If you belong to an organization and would like Ms. Ceravolo to speak about this topic or any other topic pertaining to girls or young women, call Donna Rivera-Downey, Director, Marketing, at 516/741-2550 ext. 260.

December 2003