October 14, 2022 – A new study has found that nearly three-quarter of high school students have experienced serious adversity during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to a greater potential for poor mental.
“This analysis highlights the ongoing, urgent need to address adversity experienced before and during the pandemic to mitigate its impact on mental and behavioral health,” authors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote in a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
AAP News writes that “The CDC analyzed data from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey. About 4,400 high school students answered questions in the first half of the year about their mental health and seven adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual violence, physical teen dating violence, electronic bullying, parent job loss and food insecurity.”
Each of the adverse childhood experiences was linked to poorer mental health and suicidal behaviors. The study found that 83% of those who experienced sexual violence in the past year felt persistently sad or hopeless, and 33% attempted suicide.
“Primary prevention and intervention strategies for ACEs and their acute and long-term impacts, including early identification and trauma-informed mental health service and support provision, could help address the U.S. child and adolescent mental health and suicide crisis,” the authors of the study wrote.