OCMH Senior Research Analyst Amy Marsman spotlights recent articles, resources, and research findings impacting youth mental health.
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Survey: ‘Everything’ Stresses Students Out. How Can Colleges Help?
Recent Student Voice data from Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab finds two in five college students say stress or mental health is impacting their academics a great deal and they want help from their institutions to take the pressure off.
New Study Details Teens Under Pressure
New research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the Center for Digital Thriving at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Common Sense Media shows that 81% of American teens reported feeling negative pressure in at least one area. Their future game plan, achievements, and appearance were the most common sources of distress. The report, Unpacking Grind Culture in American Teens: Pressure, Burnout, and the Role of Social Media, finds eight in ten (81%) American teens report experiencing pressure that makes them feel bad in at least one of six domains, and more than half (52%) say they personally experience this negative pressure in three or more domains. Self-care practices and advice from teens on what helps (sufficient sleep, time outdoors, open schedules) are included.
More than 5 million Adolescents Have a Mental and Behavioral Health Condition
This data brief presents newly released data on U.S. youth, ages 12-17, showing that in 2023, more than 5.3 million adolescents (20% of adolescents) had a current, diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition. Between 2016 and 2023, the prevalence of diagnosed mental or behavioral health conditions among adolescents increased by 35%. The prevalence of diagnosed anxiety increased by 61% and depression increased by 45% while the prevalence of diagnosed behavior/conduct problems was stable.
More Screen Time Tied to Mental Health Risks for Tweens
A study tracking almost 10,000 9- and 10-year olds for two years finds a link between time spent watching TV and other screens with a higher odds for ADHD and depression. The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, but the team did find small but significant associations where higher total screen time was associated with all mental health symptoms. The effect also seemed stronger for white adolescents than for Black adolescents, as discussed here.
Early Life Adversity Predicts Reduced Brain Volume in Adolescents
While researchers and practitioners know there are negative effects from ACEs, the timing of these effects is not clear. This study sought to examine whether early life adversity predicts changes in hippocampal brain volume over time in a large sample of early adolescents (ages 9-12). Using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study), a large dataset, the investigators found that early childhood adversity predicted a change in brain volume. Further, they found that the higher the adversity the lower the hippocampal brain volume. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that controls emotional processing, learning, memory, and more. The authors encourage future work to examine associations between early adversity, hippocampal development, and educational and socioemotional outcomes.
Positive Youth Experiences Buffer Childhood Adversity and Impact Adult Mental Health
In a longitudinal study, researchers demonstrated that positive experiences in adolescence significantly impact adult outcomes. They found participants with higher positive youth experiences (PYEs) had significantly greater odds of better general and mental health outcomes, even after accounting for adverse youth experiences (AYEs). This is one of the first studies to use a strengths-based, health promotional perspective to identify how to improve adult outcomes for all adolescents though promoting positive relationships; safe, equitable and stable environments; and social and civic engagement. Authors argue the transition from adolescence to adulthood is a key point where attention should be paid to maximizing positive and minimizing adverse experiences.
Suspensions, Expulsions Harm Students’ Mental and Physical Health
An updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics draws from over 20 years of research in the fields of education, juvenile justice, psychology and public health to describe how exclusionary school discipline practices harm students and disproportionately affect those with marginalized identities. The policy also offers a multidisciplinary, trauma-informed approach to reduce school suspensions and expulsions and provides recommendations for pediatricians and educators. Research shows that suspensions and expulsions don’t necessarily deter misbehavior. (In the 2020-21 school year, 28% of students were suspended more than once.)
Last year, the U.S. Department of Education issued a guide for reducing disproportionate discipline through practices that include creating a positive school climate, increasing access to student mental health services, and developing rigorous and welcoming learning environments. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday also found that “unfair” school discipline practices were linked to various health risks and experiences, such as being bullied at school, carrying a weapon to school, prescription opioid use, and attempted suicide.
Report Release: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) measures health-related behaviors and experiences among youth and young adults, including the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which is given every two years to a sample of U.S. high school students. Recent releases include the YRBS Data Summary & Trends Reports 2013-2023 offering 10-year trends and reports out on risk and protective factors related to the well-being of teens. Results help monitor health trends, identify emerging issues, and plan and evaluate programs that can help improve adolescent health. (A variety of supplements were also released, which will be highlighted here over the next few months.)
Exploring adolescent suicidal trajectories: race, ethnicity, gender, and social connectedness
Understanding adolescent racial/ethnic and gender disparities in suicidal ideation and attempts longitudinally can help curb future suicidal risk. Using longitudinal data, researchers in this study examined differences in suicidality among racial/ethnic and gender over four waves of data (average age in first wave 17 years) from across the country. As the U.S. becomes more diverse, understanding the differences in ideation and social supports between gender and racial groups is important. Authors argue that tailoring interventions to include risk and protective mechanisms among intersectional communities could eradicate disparities.
Trends and Disparities in Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempts, and Health Care Use
To better understand the trends and disparities in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among demographic subgroups, The Pew Charitable Trusts worked with researchers to analyze 2015-19 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This research sought to identify risk factors for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts across a comprehensive set of sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics. Among other findings, the study found a pronounced increase in suicidal ideation of nearly 45% for young adults ages 18-25. They also found there is low mental health care uptake among high-risk groups including young adults, Black and multiracial adults. Researchers looked at how people who experience suicidal ideation interact with the health care system to identify opportunities for suicide risk screening and reach more people who need suicide care. See related 3-minute video.
Data Release: 20-Year Suicide Mortality in the United States (2002–2022)
The National Center for Health Statistics released a new Data Brief showing suicide rates increased for nearly all age groups between 2002 and 2018, followed by a period of decline or stability between 2018 and 2020. Recent changes between 2020 and 2022 have shown increasing trends among some age groups. For age groups 10–14 and 15–24, rates for females remained similar between 2020 and 2022, while rates for males declined. For age 25 and older, rates for both males and females increased between 2020 and 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 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.
Accelerated Brain Maturation More Pronounced in Females than in Males, a COVID Lockdown Effect
Research findings suggest the COVID lockdown measures resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents and that this accelerated maturation was much more pronounced in females than in males. The regions with the most acceleration in thinning among girls have been linked to social cognitive functions, such as recognizing and processing faces and expressions; processing social and emotional experiences; the ability to have empathy and compassion; and language comprehension, according to the study. Since accelerated brain maturation has been associated with increased risk for the development of mental health disorders, these findings highlight the importance of providing ongoing monitoring and support to those who were adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors assert that while the pandemic is largely over, its effects remain. Encouraging in-person quality time, limiting social media use, and watching for behavioral changes which reflect a shift in mental health or mood should be monitored for intervention as early as possible. See related story for more details and study limitations.
National Academies Releases Expert Consultation: Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in the Wake of COVID-19.
Based on the Societal Experts Action Network's rapid expert consultation, this new interactive focuses on strategies tailored to different age groups and communities facing the challenges of social isolation and loneliness that arose during or were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies include community-based supports, community leadership, digital environments, social infrastructure, and policy initiatives.
GenZ and Millennials report the poorest work health scores
A psychologically safe working environment can act as a protective factor for an employee’s mental health. Mental Health America found Generation Z employees and Millennials report poorer overall work health scores than other generations, with 71% of Generation Z employees and 59% of Millennials having unhealthy work health scores—compared with 52% of Generation X employees and 42% of Baby Boomers. 97% of employees who work in a mentally healthy workplace agree that they feel a sense of belonging, compared with just 9% of workers in unhealthy workplaces. The report is based on an analysis of survey responses from nearly 4,000 U.S. employees across 21 industries. Employees were asked about experiences of trust, appreciation, psychological safety, and support at work and its impact on their 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
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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