The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health (OCMH) Senior Research Analyst Amy Marsman spotlights recent articles, resources, and research findings impacting youth mental health.
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KIDS COUNT Data Book Released
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) released the 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Largely based on 2022 data, the latest release includes national findings and state profiles. Wisconsin ranked 11th in the nation for overall child well-being. Wisconsin also received the following domain score rankings:
- 7th for Economic Well-Being
- 8th for Education
- 14th for Family and Community
- 21st for Health
In their analysis, AECF said the impact of the pandemic on child well-being became evident. Six indicators worsened between 2019 and 2022, including educational achievement and the child and teen death rate. Between 2019 and 2021, the percentage of children scoring proficient or above in reading and math declined sharply. While this trend may have stabilized in 2022, the data indicate a significant setback in educational attainment. The child and teen death rate also remained elevated in 2022.
AECF 2023 Results Report
AECF also recently published their 2023 Results Report detailing the five investment areas that are critical for young people to thrive: basic needs; permanent relationships; financial stability; early care, education and credentials; and community and youth leadership.
988 Answer Rate and Better Response Report
The answer rate for 988 calls in May 2024, nearly two years since the launch of 988, shows variation across the country. Nationally, the answer rate is 89% but in Wisconsin, the state rate is 74%. Only six states had lower answer rates, according to data available in monthly reports.
Inseparable has reported that half of American adults say their families have experienced a severe mental health emergency. Wisconsin’s State Snapshot from Inseparable shows a slightly highly answer rate (77%) than the monthly 988 reports, but still demonstrates room for improvement given the goal of a 90% answer rate.
Inseparable’s latest report, A Better Response, details the policies that could improve the mental health crisis system. For example, though all states use surcharges on cellphone bills to fund 911 services, just 10 states so far have done the same for 988. (Wisconsin does not.) Advocates for surcharges say the funds could help address staffing challenges and reduce burnout among call center workers.
Primary care doctors adopt universal suicide screening for all patients
After losing a young patient to suicide in early 2023, Dr. Edward Salzberg, a pediatrician in Georgia, found himself looking for solutions. “I had a teenager who died by suicide within 30 minutes of leaving their wellness visit.” Dr. Salzberg is part of an effort to implement evidence-based strategies that prevent youth suicide.
A cohort of pediatric health teams launched last year across 11 states. The pediatric providers have adopted universal suicide screening for all patients, regardless of the reason for their visit. Since then, this program has continued to engage and educate hundreds of providers and community members across more than 40 states.
Cohort surveys found that 85% of provider participants in the initial cohort reported afterward that they had increased their knowledge about suicide prevention (including risk factors and warning signs for suicide); 77% reported increased confidence in their ability to apply the information presented; and nearly all (93%) said they were committed to implementing the skills learned in practice.
Social connection is a key for youth suicide prevention efforts
Social connectedness, a feeling of belonging at school and in the community, can play an important role in suicide prevention among high-risk teens, new research from the University of Oregon finds. Researchers analyzed baseline data from nearly 300 teens, ages 13-19, from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Texas who participated in a larger study on the effectiveness of recovery high schools.
The sample was at higher risk for suicide than average teens. More than half the group, 58%, reported that they had thought about or attempted suicide at some point in their life. Nearly all the teens, 98%, had a drug or alcohol use disorder and 94% met diagnostic criteria for one or more mental health conditions.
Researchers found that measures of connectedness in school and neighborhoods were both associated with a lower risk of suicide attempts among these high-risk teens. The results also showed that sexual abuse survivors who reported strong teacher support and positive interactions with classmates were significantly less likely to report a prior suicide attempt than those with low levels of school connectedness. The researcher said schools can help foster protective relationships through peer support groups or mentorship programs.
The Relationship Between Firearms, Mass Shootings, and Suicide Risk among LGBTQ+ Young People
Research from The Trevor Project found that being impacted or knowing someone impacted by a mass shooting was associated with a 32% higher odds of attempting suicide in the last year. The presence of a firearm in the home was associated with a 17% higher odds of attempting suicide in the past year.
Surgeon General Advisory on Firearms
The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a landmark Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence, declaring firearm violence in America to be a public health crisis. The advisory dives into data describing that over 50% of U.S. adults report that they, or a family member, have experienced a firearm related incident and that firearms are the #1 cause of death among children.
Citing the far-reaching consequences that firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of the country, the Advisory highlights the severe impact of firearm violence on American health, emphasizing the need for community violence prevention, improved mental health care access, and expanded research funding to effectively address this issue. See the highlights , press release, and full advisory. A related webinar on gun violence reduction strategies is available here.
Surgeon General Advises Social Media Warning Label
The U.S. Surgeon General recently advised that social media come with warning labels, similar to those found on cigarettes and alcohol. Citing declining youth mental health, Murthy said there’s no time to wait for perfect research demonstrating a causal link between social media and the youth mental health crisis.
According to the Surgeon General, the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.
It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.
Some researchers are urging caution, however, asserting there is no clear scientific evidence that social media is causing mental health issues among young people. While many studies have found that social media use is correlated with dips in well-being, others have found the opposite. One problem may be that terms such as “social media use” and “mental health” have been defined broadly and inconsistently, according to analyses of existing studies. This makes it challenging for researchers to find causal relationships (meaning A causes B) between social media and mental health without closely controlling children’s behavior.
Cellphone Bans in School Gain Momentum
The nation’s two largest school districts are taking action to curb distractions and harms of teen smart phone use, with NYC schools banning phones and Los Angeles schools planning to implement a ban. Last year, Florida became the first state to require all its public schools to bar students from using their phones during class. Nationally, Pew Research found 72% of teachers say cellphones are a major problem in the classroom. Now governors and legislators in at least a half-dozen other states are pushing their schools to follow suit, through persuasion or by law, according to a Stateline story, which also cites research showing bans significantly improved student mental health, especially for girls.
Qualitative evidence is mounting too. A story in the Guardian profiles the “complete transformation” of a Massachusetts school that banned smartphones. This story, How a Connecticut middle school won the battle against cellphones, details how one school included a weaning-off plan for students who relied on their phones to manage anxiety.
Federal Regulators Ban Messaging App from Hosting Minors
Federal regulators have for the first time through a groundbreaking settlement banned a digital platform from serving users under 18, accusing the app — known as NGL — of exaggerating its ability to use artificial intelligence to curb cyberbullying. NGL (internet shorthand for “not gonna lie”) is an app popular among children and teens, and heavily marketed toward kids. NGL agreed to pay $5 million and stop marketing to kids and teens to settle the lawsuit, which also alleged that the company violated children’s privacy laws by collecting data from youths under 13 without parental consent.
The settlement marks a major milestone in the federal government’s efforts to tackle concerns that tech platforms are exposing children to noxious material and profiting from it. The vote is emblematic of bipartisan concern over children’s online safety in Washington. In a statement, GOP Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said NGL “engaged in truly despicable conduct” by “taunting tweens and teens” into paid subscriptions. Holyoak decried NGL for luring young users with messages purportedly posed by their friends, including phrases like “Are you straight?” and “I know what you did.”
Housing’s Impact on Children’s Mental Health
The U.S. has a housing affordability crisis, and families with children are taking on the brunt of the burden. Of the 7.6 million Americans threatened with eviction each year, 40% are children with children between the ages of 0 and 5 being found to be at highest risk of eviction. A new prevalence study finds 17% of kids in the U.S. – more than 12 million children – experience housing instability. The evidence is clear when facing housing insecurity, youth mental health is significantly impacted. Research also shows kids who experience both food insecurity and housing instability during early childhood have increased risk of long-term adolescent depression and anxiety.
Racism Can Spark Depression and Anxiety in Black Adolescents
A new study of brain activity suggest that the way Black youth cope with racial discrimination can affect their mental health. An accompanying story points out that looking at biological data can further substantiate what has been shown for decades: people’s health is negatively impacted by discrimination. But studies like these also influence and inform intervention strategies. Scholars note mindfulness as a potential strategy and important practice to teach youth, especially kids of color who experience racism.
Schools are Unable to Effectively Provide Mental Health Services to Students Due to Lack of Staffing and Funding
Survey results using federal education data reveals the majority of schools are stymied by lack of staffing and funding. The most commonly identified barriers to providing effective mental health services in schools are insufficient mental health professional staff coverage to manage caseload (55%), inadequate funding (54%), and inadequate access to licensed mental health professionals (49%).
Research suggests that to truly thrive meet with friends in-person and regularly
It’s long been known that people who enjoy high-quality friendships have better health — the effect is so strong it’s comparable to the longevity benefit of eating a Mediterranean diet. But simply having good friends and feeling connected isn’t enough. Research suggests that for our health to truly thrive, we need to physically meet with our friends on a regular basis. A recent study analyzed data from nearly 13,000 volunteers, examining not only their number of friends but also whether they saw each other. Having face-to-face contact with friends at least once per week was a strong predictor of better physical and mental health. Calling or texting didn’t bring similar benefits, says Eric Kim, professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and the study’s lead author.
The findings come as more people increasingly opt out of traditional, in-person socializing. According to data from the American Time Use Survey, the average time spent with friends decreased from 60 minutes per day in 2003 to a mere 34 minutes in 2019.
“In the U.S., there’s a friendship recession,” Kim says in accompanying story.
One Wisconsin business has launched a new way to connect people who are looking to find new friends. Efforts like this to intentionally meet new people and connect with them in person on a regular basis have been shown to increase social connectedness and reduce loneliness, while improving overall well-being.
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OCMH Research and Data Resources
Key Facts in Youth Mental Health: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/ResearchData/KeyFacts.aspx
Data Sources: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/Resources/DataSources.aspx
Fact Sheets: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/ResearchData/FactSheets.aspx
Youth Mental Health Initiatives: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/Resources/ChildrensInitiatives.aspx
Research News in Youth Mental Health: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/OCMHNewsletters.aspx
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