OCMH Senior Research Analyst Amy Marsman spotlights recent articles, resources, and research findings impacting youth mental health.
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Parents greatly overestimate meeting their teens’ social and emotional needs.
Parents were far more likely to say that their teenager always received the social and emotional support they needed than did teens (77% compared with 27%). The findings reported in the National Health Statistics Report, Perceived Social and Emotional Support Among Teenagers, was conducted during the pandemic and meant to address a gap in the research. Most research relies on parent-report in past studies which may overestimate and misrepresent the true level of support teenagers received.
9 out of 10 Schools Report Cyberbullying
In an inventory of cellphone bans across states, KFF reports on the relationship between cellphones, social media, distracted learning, and mental health. Cyberbullying is associated with social and emotional distress, depression, and suicidal ideation among youth and is more often experienced by female and sexual minority youth compared to their peers. LGBT+ adolescents (25%) and females (21%) report being cyberbullied more than their peers. Technological devices can also be used to create and spread digitally altered pornographic content without consent – a practice that primarily targets females and may negatively impact their mental health.
DHS Suicide and Self-Harm Data Dashboards
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) recently released two data dashboards that offer a wealth of pertinent rates and counts throughout the state. Data helps us gain insight about the people who experience suicidal thoughts, actions, deaths, and associated risk factors. It shows us emerging trends and helps us identify those at higher risk of suicide and potentially suicidal actions. For example, the suicide data dashboard shows suicide rates have increased over time in Wisconsin. The dashboard also shows firearms are by far the most frequent means used (for all age groups). Additionally, it reveals that at least 32% of young people (under 25 years) who died by suicide had recently disclosed suicide intent.
The self-harm dashboard reveals that young adults (ages 18-24) represent the largest share of patients for self-harm injuries. When filtered by age and sex, teen girls ages 15-17 are the largest share of self-harm patients, followed by young women (ages 18-24). These data informed a new flyer on adolescent self-harm which can be shared with families, schools, and those who interact with youth.
More information on suicide data along with a number of suicide prevention resources can be found on the DHS website.
Emergency Department Important to Youth Suicide Prevention
In this study, researchers used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s state emergency department (ED) and inpatient databases of 8 states, including Wisconsin, from 2019 to retrospectively analyze patients aged 5 to 18 years with self-inflicted injury by diagnosis code to understand ED utilization 90 days before and after the self-inflicted injury. Overall, they found that 24% had an ED encounter before a self-inflicted injury, and 26% had an encounter after injury.
The findings support calls from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Bright Futures for universal screening for suicide in all clinical settings, which includes the ED. Ideally, if a patient reports suicidality, they would undergo an evidence-based suicide risk assessment and have a management plan created, since the screening, assessment, and effective management of suicidal ideation can reduce future attempts. In some states, such as Illinois, universal screening for suicide may extend even into schools.
Investigating DBT and Recurrence of Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts
In a research study of 173 youth (95% girls) ages 12 to 18 with repetitive self-harm including at least one prior suicide attempt and elevated suicidal ideation, participants received six months of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) or therapy. Participants were followed for six months post-treatment. Researchers examined rates of remission, recovery, relapse, and recurrence. Results show better recovery and lower relapse rates among participants who received DBT.
Rates of Preteen Suicide on the Rise
According to a study from National Institutes of Health researchers, preteen (ages 8-12) suicide rates were on a downward trend until 2007, then increased by about 8% annually between 2008 and 2022. Girls had a disproportionate increase in suicide rate compared to boys. Black children had the highest overall suicide rate. Native and Hispanic children had the greatest percentage increases in suicide rate. Regionally, the Midwest had the highest preteen suicide rates.
Researchers note that little is known about the epidemiology of preteen suicide, limiting our ability to inform targeted prevention strategies. This study provides a foundation for future research to explore unique factors associated with preteen suicide. The findings also support the need for culturally informed and developmentally appropriate prevention efforts that emphasize robust risk screening and lethal means restriction.
More trans teens attempted suicide after states passed anti-trans laws, a study shows
A new study from the Trevor Project found that starting in the first year after anti-transgender laws were enacted there were statistically significant increases in rates of past-year suicide attempts among transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youth ages 13–17 in states that enacted anti-transgender laws, relative to states that did not, and for all TGNB young people beginning in the second year. National Public Radio reports that future research will explore data from 2023, which saw the largest number of anti-trans state bills to date.
Report Shows Suicide Risk Tied to Local Economic and Social Conditions
A new CDC report shows suicide rates were 44% lower in counties where most homes have broadband internet access, 26% lower in counties with the highest health insurance coverage, and 13% lower in counties with the most household income. These findings reinforce other studies that show that the conditions where people are born, grow, live, work, and age can play an important role in shaping suicide prevention efforts. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.
Promising Actions: Improving Data about Social and Structural Determinants of Health
The “Promising Actions” initiative, administered by the CDC Foundation and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, focuses on enhancing public health data collection related to social and structural determinants of health (SSDOH). The project targets improvements in three key data systems: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), and PLACES. Central to this initiative are the local Data Equity Coalitions (including National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership partners), and the National Alliance against Disparities in Patient Health (NADPH), whose collaboration ensures that data collection is equitable and reflective of community needs. In addition to the CDC Foundation’s collective report, individual reports and reflections were also published.
Large majority of voters want governmental action on child care
In a poll by the First Five Years Fund, 89% of voters want candidates to have a plan to help parents afford child care. And 68% believe child care is essential or very important to the economy. Affordable child care, especially for infants, is hard to find and some infant care costs more than college tuition. Consultant Rob Grunewald, a former Federal Reserve economist, says it makes strong economic sense for states to support affordable child care. “Responsive interactions with adults help children feel a sense of belonging and value,” he says. “But unfortunately, not all children have these types of interactions, perhaps due to the stresses of poverty or to household dysfunction, perhaps mental illness or addiction in the household.” Grunewald said long-term research shows that when children don’t have the stimulation they need at this early developmental phase, it’s very hard for them to catch up. And the benefits of getting those healthy interactions are clear. “What they’re able to show is that children perform better in school and as adults they earn more money in the workforce, they pay more in taxes, they’re less likely to commit crime,” Grunewald says.
Nearly 1 Million More Children Were in Poverty in 2023 Than 2022, Despite Economic Growth
Child Trends reports approximately 10 million children were living in poverty in 2023, according to data released from the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite a growing economy, these numbers are the highest they have been since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, the social safety net was temporarily expanded to keep children and families from experiencing the worst of the potential consequences brought on by high rates of unemployment and job loss during the pandemic. As a result, the child poverty rate was cut nearly in half. With the expiration of such policies, child poverty more than doubled from 2021 to 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels. The new estimates indicate that child poverty in 2023 outpaced pre-pandemic child poverty rates, even as inflation-adjusted wages grew. Nearly 1 million more children were in poverty in 2023 than in 2022.
Violent Deaths at School and Active Shooter Incident Data
Violent deaths and shootings at schools are tragic events with potentially far-reaching effects on the school population and surrounding community. NCES data shows that in 2020–21, there were a total of 41 school-associated violent deaths in the U.S., which included 20 homicides and 17 suicides. Of these 41 school-associated violent deaths, 11 homicides and 6 suicides were of school-age youth (ages 5–18). From 2000 through 2022, there were 328 casualties (131 killed and 197 wounded) in active shooter incidents at elementary and secondary schools and 157 casualties (75 killed and 82 wounded) in active shooter incidents at postsecondary institutions.
‘What Happens Three Months From Now?’ Mental Health After School Shootings
About an hour after gunfire erupted at Apalachee High School, ambulances started arriving at nearby Northeast Georgia Medical Center Barrow with two students and two adults suffering from panic attacks and extreme anxiety, not bullet wounds according to a KFF story. Research from Stanford has found a higher rate of antidepressant use among those exposed to a school shooting; along with an increase in student absenteeism. The study also found there was a drop in student enrollment, a decline in average test scores, and students exposed to school shootings are less likely to graduate, go to college, graduate college, be employed and have lower earnings. See related OCMH resources:
Lancet Series: A public health approach to suicide prevention
The series, A public health approach to suicide prevention, published in The Lancet Public Health, argues that a change in the narrative is needed to move from presenting suicide as a clinical mental health issue to also acknowledging the impact of social factors, such as poverty, debt, addictions, abuse, discrimination and social isolation, on a person’s decision to consider suicide.
The Series highlights how clinical treatment services are critical for people in a suicidal crisis, but upstream measures that address social factors must also be included in national suicide prevention strategies to prevent people reaching crisis point. Tackling the social factors which contribute to suicide requires a policy re-set with a whole of government commitment for suicide prevention efforts – a “suicide prevention in all policies” approach. This Series stresses the need for selective and universal interventions that tackle the pervasive problem of suicide in a more upstream way, preventing people reaching a crisis point.
Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications
Julianne Holt-Lunstad, well-known loneliness researcher, affirms the scientific study on social isolation and loneliness has substantially expanded over the past 20 years; but argues its relevance to health and mortality remains underappreciated by the public. Despite the breadth of evidence, several challenges remain, including the need for a common language to reconcile the diverse relevant terms across scientific disciplines, consistent multi-factorial measurement to assess risk, and effective solutions to prevent and mitigate risk. The urgency for future health is underscored by the potentially longer-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of digital technologies in societal shifts, that could contribute to further declines in social, mental, and physical health. To reverse these trends and meet these challenges, recommendations are offered to more comprehensively address gaps in our understanding and to foster social connection and address social isolation and loneliness.
Development and validation of a scale to measure social isolation in adolescents
Citing a lack of questionnaires specifically designed to assess social isolation in adolescents, a group of international researchers developed and validated a self-report measure of social isolation in adolescents, the Social Isolation Questionnaire (QIS). This tool could be used to support practitioners and researchers in assessing social isolation among adolescents.
New Report Provides Road Map for Policy Changes to Transform Child Health Care and Meet the Challenges of the Youth Health Crisis
The current health care system for children is in crisis, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that lays out a road map for policy change and health care system transformation to better meet the needs of children and families. The report documents increases in the incidence of chronic diseases; growing concerns with children’s mental, emotional, and behavioral health; and significant disparities among population groups. Rising rates of mortality and disability among youth and working age Americans illustrate the long-term outcomes of not providing the care that children need.
Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health
The handbook is free to download for anyone interested in social media research including state and federal policymakers as well as academic researchers, parents, and teens. It explores the relationship between social media and a wide range of mental health issues, ranging from body image and eating disorders to depression and sleep. Each chapter is available and some with video summaries.
Almost half of Gen Z wishes social media platforms X and TikTok didn’t exist
A recent Harris Poll finds that when it comes to social media, young adults (18-27) often recognize both a positive personal impact and a negative societal impact. Overall their perceived emotional impacts are 45% positive vs. 37% negative impact, though more Gen Z women feel social media had more of a negative impact (44%) than a positive one (40%) on their mental health. Some respondents wished these products had never been invented: Instagram (34%), Facebook (37%), Snapchat (43%), and the most regretted platforms of all: TikTok (47%) and X/Twitter (50%). A majority want better and safer platforms, and many don’t think these platforms are suitable for children. Nearly half (45%) of Gen Z-ers report that they wouldn’t allow their child to have a smartphone before reaching high school age.
White House finalizes rule to strengthen mental health parity law
The Biden Administration finalized a regulation to help ensure that the 175 million Americans with private health insurance have access to affordable mental health services. The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act already requires insurers and corporate-backed health plans to provide access and payment structures for mental health care services on par with other medical services. In practice, that is often not the case, with less than half of U.S. adults with mental illness able to access care in 2020, while nearly 70% of children cannot receive treatment, according to studies cited by the administration. That is partly due to a lack of mental health providers being sufficiently covered by insurance plans, leading patients to pay high out-of-pocket costs or to give up on care.
America’s Health Rankings
As the longest-running state-by-state analysis of our nation’s health, America’s Health Rankings® provides actionable data-driven insights to inform public policy, research, and news reporting. The platform, produced by the United Health Foundation, analyzes over 280 unique measures from more than 80 publicly available data sources to assess the nation’s health and well-being on a wide range of demographics including race and ethnicity, gender, age, education, income, disability status, sexual orientation, veteran status, and metropolitan status.
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OCMH Research and Data Resources
Key Facts in Youth Mental Health: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/ResearchData/KeyFacts.aspx
Fact Sheets: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/ResearchData/FactSheets.aspx
Data Sources: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/Resources/DataSources.aspx
Research News in Youth Mental Health: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/OCMHNewsletters.aspx
Youth Mental Health Initiatives: https://children.wi.gov/Pages/Resources/ChildrensInitiatives.aspx
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