Boys under the age of twelve showed a greater struggle with behavioral problems – such as cheating, fighting and stealing – as well as loose and careless behavior in the last six months of 2023. According to research, 24% of boys under the age of twelve experience related mental health problems. in loose and careless behavior, while they also scored higher in moral issues, compared to the other groups tested.
2. Adolescent girls scored higher for emotional symptoms associated with poor mental health.
Adolescent girls were found to have high levels of negative mental health outcomes in many areas, but the highest were emotional symptoms, which the study defined as “depressive behavior, anxiety, nerves, fear and symptoms of those emotions,” such as stomach. pain and headache. Adolescent girls are the most likely to struggle in many areas, according to the report.
3. The mental health schools say they offer and what parents report to be available are not the same.
According to Rapaport, there is a conflict between what parents say is available in their children’s schools and what is reported by schools nationally. The study defined mental health support as “treatment guidance through counseling, counseling, case management support programs based on specific needs.”
“I suspect that there is awareness of resources in some of the regions [or] maybe the services are in the schools, but there’s a waiting list and the parent can’t enroll their child,” said Rapaport.
4. Children who most need mental health support at school have little access to it.
Low-income families reported the lowest numbers of mental health support at school, while high-income families reported the highest numbers. However, when asked, only 11% of high-income families said their children used mental health services offered at school. In contrast, more than 50% of very low-income families reported that their children used school mental health services. “It is unlikely that this pattern reflects a difference in demand; there are more opportunities for high-income families to seek help outside the school,” said the report.
Less than one-third of Black families reported that their school had mental health support for students, but more than half of White families reported the availability of mental health services in their schools. There needs to be a deeper understanding of mental health services at the local level, Rapaport said. “What one district is struggling with may not be the same as another district or school is struggling.”
School mental health support services
Polikoff pointed out school-based mental health services as an important part of addressing the mental health needs of young people, especially in families with limited resources. Because young people spend so much of their day at school, “it makes sense to have resources there, especially when parents have so many other things that are stressing them out, things they’re worried about and trying to do,” said Kelly Davis, the organization’s vice president. Peer and Youth Advocacy in Mental Health America (MHA), which provides programs to help young people advocate for their mental health and that of their peers. “We know that mental health services are incredibly expensive,” said Davis, who sees school mental health services as an equity issue.
Youth Mental Health Corpspublic-private partnerships between AmeriCorps and several other organizations, launched earlier this year through a training program for 18- to 24-year-olds to provide mental health care to young people in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals.
OneStar Foundationa non-profit organization partnering with AmeriCorps, helped bring 80 Youth Mental Health Corps members to schools across Texas, one of four states to adopt the program for the 2024-2025 school year. According to Jaclyn Kolar, OneStar’s national operations director, one of the goals is to prevent dropouts by addressing the mental health needs of students. The Youth Mental Health Corps of Texas offers weekly individual and small group sessions to economically disadvantaged students. These school sessions help students learn coping strategiesbuild self-confidence as well practice setting goalssaid Kolar.
Young people find solutions
For Rishika Rohatgi, the report’s findings are typical. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rohatgi saw an increase in loneliness and isolation from peers, in addition to the academic, external and social pressures they already had as teenagers. So he and a friend started a mental health awareness club at their high school. After they participated in their school fair, 50 students entered. “We saw an immediate positive response,” said Rohatgi, a former attendee NAMI Next Gen Advisor. Although no mental health services are provided through the club, it creates a space for open discussion among students. “Students really need to advocate for students and students,” she said.
Rohatgi emphasized the importance of creativity when talking to students about mental health issues. For example, on Valentine’s Day, the students in her group decided to write love letters to themselves “to highlight their favorite features.” Rohatgi’s group often found success with works, such as romance novels, that “enhance mental well-being, but you can’t say clearly that they improve mental well-being,” she said.