Most Students Have Experienced Mental Health Challenges During Pandemic, Survey Reveals. But There are Reasons for Optimism
A recent national survey on student well-being during the pandemic reveals that nearly two-thirds of parents have observed mental or emotional challenges in their children, including anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. However, amidst concerns about the long-term impact of the pandemic and school disruptions on students’ mental health, the survey conducted by the Jed Foundation also provides some optimism. While it sheds light on the difficulties young people have faced over the past year, it also highlights a significant amount of resilience among them. Surprisingly, only a third of parents reported that their child’s emotional health had worsened since the COVID-19 outbreak. Over half of the parents stated that their child’s mental health remained unchanged, and 16 percent even claimed that it had improved.
This surprising finding caught the attention of Sara Gorman, the director of research and knowledge dissemination at JED. While acknowledging the importance of prioritizing youth mental health as students return to classrooms, she admitted that the survey results were not as worrying as she had anticipated. JED, a nonprofit organization focusing on teen and young adult mental health, collaborates with schools and colleges to prevent youth suicide.
Gorman expressed her interest in further studying the development of resilience in young people and the coping mechanisms they have employed to maintain their mental well-being. The data obtained from the survey contribute to the ongoing debate about reopening schools during the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed the reopening of schools in areas with low to moderate COVID-19 spread, provided that students adhere to mask-wearing and other public health guidelines. Reopening schools quickly has also been advocated as a way to prevent a potential increase in youth suicide rates.
One example of this concern materialized in Las Vegas, Nevada, where officials cited a rise in youth suicide deaths as a reason to reopen schools. However, mental health experts argue that the lack of comprehensive and real-time data on mortality rates hampers officials’ ability to fully comprehend the problem. Suicide, the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24, was already increasing even before the pandemic.
While the pandemic’s impact on youth suicide rates remains uncertain due to the lack of 2020 data, experts are concerned because many of the pandemic’s consequences, such as social isolation and the loss of in-person connections, can exacerbate suicide risk factors. The JED survey revealed that 3 percent of student respondents reported having suicidal thoughts within the past month. Additionally, 28 percent experienced anxiety, 20 percent faced social isolation or loneliness, and 14 percent dealt with depression.
The survey indicated that students were more likely to experience mental health challenges during the pandemic if a family member or friend had contracted the virus or if a parent had lost their job due to the unstable economy. Interestingly, parents of middle school students were the most likely to observe mental health issues in their children. Gorman proposed that this might be a result of social deprivation, as brain development during this time makes adolescents desire more social interaction. "They’re basically getting a signal from their brain that they’re supposed to be with other people their age," she explained.
The online survey included a nationally representative sample of 2,075 parents and 899 teens aged 13 to 18, with two-thirds of the students not attending school in-person full time. The data collection took place in September and October, early in the current school year and shortly before the presidential election.
As the national infection rate decreases, schools gradually reopen, and more individuals receive the vaccine, Gorman believes that students’ mental health has likely shown some improvement. However, she cautioned that the effects of the pandemic-induced trauma could be long-lasting for some individuals, even after the current crisis ends.
Gorman emphasized that the survey results provide valuable insights for policymakers. Previously, there was a prevalent assumption that mental health must be severely affected during the pandemic and that getting students back to school as soon as possible was imperative.
According to Gorman, these findings indicate that young individuals have shown resilience during the crisis. Instead of being solely focused on their own mental health, they have been more concerned about the global situation.
However, as students begin returning to schools in various cities, Gorman emphasized the importance of educators assessing the mental health of young people and taking swift action when they are in crisis. To provide guidance in this regard, JED has collaborated with over a dozen schools nationwide to implement a suicide prevention initiative. The goal of this initiative is to identify students who are at risk and provide them with mental health care if they are struggling. It is important to recognize that the pandemic is not the only crisis that students will face in their lives.
"While we may not be able to prevent all of these crises from occurring," Gorman stated, "schools can play a crucial role in teaching students how to regulate their emotions during times of intense stress." She expressed her hope that schools will increasingly recognize the importance of this skill, as it is what will truly benefit students in the face of inevitable future challenges.
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