Dive Brief:
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Teen mental health showed early signs of improvement in 2023 from two years earlier when it sank following the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Female and LGBTQ+ students, however, are still reporting more violence, signs of poor mental health, and suicidal thoughts than their male, cisgender and heterosexual peers do.
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Despite what the CDC calls "good news" and "positive signs," the data still shows increases in the percentage of students reporting violence and safety concerns at or on their way to school over the past two years. This includes increases in bullying (15% to 19%) and missing school because of such safety concerns (9% to 13%).
Dive Insight:
COVID-19's impact on student behavioral and mental health proved particularly challenging for schools and the CDC, both of which have worked to address what educators and others describe as a mental health crisis.
Last year, the CDC called on schools to prevent and reduce the negative toll that violence and other trauma takes on teens, after the agency found dramatic increases in mental health challenges for teenage girls over the past decade. The CDC stressed that school-based activities could "make a profound difference."
In a statement Tuesday, Kathleen Ethier, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, stressed "the vital role schools play in promoting health and well-being." Ethier said it is "critical to address school-based violence and safety concerns.”
The data released Tuesday shows "we've made some progress in tackling these issues in recent years, which proves that they are not insurmountable," Ethier said. "However, there's still much work ahead."
Though the data points to early improvements, the report highlights "concerningly high" percentages of students with poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
In 2023, nearly 1 in 5 female students reported experiencing sexual violence in the past year. More than half of female students and more than 3 in 5 LGBTQ+ students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the same time frame, according to the report.
To address these challenges and buffer the impact of negative life events, the report said schools can take these steps:
- Provide quality health education.
- Increase school connectedness.
- Create positive environments promoting mental health in schools.
