Abstract
Although mental health had been getting progressively worse among high school students prior to the pandemic, new survey data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) March 31 reveal that many high school students across the country are experiencing poor mental health, emotional abuse and chronic sadness, prompting the CDC to label these findings a “cry for help.”
Bottom Line…
Mental health professionals caring for youth should make it a point to connect to local school systems to become a bridge for mental health support, says the CDC report's co‐author.
Although mental health had been getting progressively worse among high school students prior to the pandemic, new survey data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) March 31 reveal that many high school students across the country are experiencing poor mental health, emotional abuse and chronic sadness, prompting the CDC to label these findings a “cry for help.”
More than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year, according to the report, Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID‐19 Pandemic — Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021.
The survey represents one of five examining adolescent behaviors and experiences, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. For many youths during the pandemic, mental health was affected by school closures, social isolation, family economic hardship, fear of family loss or illness, and reduced access to health care because of inadequate insurance coverage or medical office closures and reduced hours, according to the survey.
“These data echo a cry for help,” CDC Acting Principal Deputy Director Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H., stated in a news release. “The COVID‐19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students' mental wellbeing. Our research shows that surrounding youth with the proper support can reverse these trends and help our youth now and in the future.”
Methodology
The CDC report uses data from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, an online survey of a probability‐based, nationally representative sample of U.S. public‐ and private‐school students in grades 9–12 (7,705) to assess U.S. high school students' mental health and suicidality during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
‘Incredible disruption’
Other smaller studies have been conducted during the pandemic that indicate how young people's mental health was faring, said Kathleen Ethier, Ph.D., a psychologist and director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health and report co‐author. “This is the first nationally representative survey of young people,” she told MHW. “The data are really concerning. The pandemic was an incredible disruption for students and families.”
The survey found that during the 12 months before the survey, 19.9% of students had seriously considered attempting suicide and 9.0% had attempted suicide. Female and LGBT youth experienced the most detrimental impact on their mental health, added Ethier.
The prevalence of poor mental health during the pandemic was higher among gay, lesbian or bisexual students and other or questioning students than among heterosexual students, the survey indicated. The prevalence of poor mental health during the past 30 days and of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness was highest among gay, lesbian or bisexual students, followed by other or questioning students. Heterosexual students had the lowest prevalence, the survey found.
‘Mental health professionals play a really important role in helping us get to recovery.’
Kathleen Ethier, Ph.D.
The prevalence of having seriously considered attempting suicide was higher among white students than Black or Asian students and higher among multiracial students than Black students. The prevalence of having attempted suicide was higher among American Indian and Alaska Native students than White, Black, Hispanic or Asian students. The prevalence of having seriously considered attempting suicide and attempted suicide was highest among gay, lesbian or bisexual students, followed by other or questioning students. Heterosexual students had the lowest prevalence.
The CDC survey asked for the first time questions about the perception of racism in schools, said Ethier. Asian students, Black students and Latinx students would most likely say they experienced poor mental health outcomes, depressive symptoms, persistent sadness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, she said.
They were less likely to say they felt close to people at school, Ethier noted. “They weren't feeling school connectedness,” she said. School connectedness, she explained, is considered a powerful protection factor.
It's concerning to find that students felt this way in such an important environment, she noted. Young people feel that the adults in schools care about them and are interested in seeing them succeed, she said. This support can have long‐term implications, she said. “They can have better outcomes in mental health into their 20s and 30s,” she noted. “Schools create an environment where all students can feel safe and cared for.”
Ethier added, “We at the CDC work with school districts to put activities into place for middle schools and high schools.”
MH professional support needed
While schools have school psychologists, many do not have the ability to maintain the full cadre of mental health support in their school, she said. For mental health professionals who provide services for young people, they should connect to local schools to help be that bridge for support, Ethier said. “They know where to help students find care. This is a great opportunity for mental health professionals in the community to link with school districts to provide that support,” she said.
“Not only are we seeing more mental health issues in the general population of youth, but we're more likely to see more youth needing mental health services,” Ethier said. “Helping families find these mental health professionals is really going to be key.”
Ethier added, “Mental health professionals play a really important role in helping us get to recovery.”