Why did this happen? Research and CPR’s series “Teens Under Stress” reports on these key factors.
- Increased pressure to succeed academically.
- Increased use of social media.
- Fewer young people are getting enough sleep.
- broader social issues such as economic struggles, climate change, and increased gun violence;
“In our generation, a lot of people are really isolated,” one student noted in the data report. “A lot of us don’t have a good support system or only a few people who even really know us. I have some really strong connections, but finding them… It was very difficult for me.”
The student said she was “drowning in all the pressures” because there were too many activities and stressors.
The pandemic has accelerated the mental health crisis, with half of young people reporting experiencing emotional abuse from a parent or other adult at home, a parent losing their job, and young people experiencing hunger. Students of color and LGBTQ+ students reported experiencing these challenges at higher rates than white and straight youth.
Financial security is one of the fundamental components of the mental health of parents and children. Colorado is uneven.
On the surface, Colorado scores high on children’s economic prosperity. In 2021, Colorado’s child poverty rate was 12%, lower than the national average of 17%. This is largely unchanged from the last time data was collected in 2019.
Still, Colorado’s economic prosperity has been uneven. Children in rural areas in the southern part of the state are most exposed to economic stress. The county with the highest child poverty rate is Costilla at 36%, followed by Saguache at 35% and Huerfano at 32%. In contrast, Douglas County’s rate is the lowest at her 3%.
Following trends across the country, children of color in Colorado are more likely to experience poverty. From 2017 to 2021, American Indian and Black children in the state were, on average, three times more likely to experience poverty than white children. Meanwhile, Latino children were twice as likely to live in poverty as white children.
“These disparities are unacceptable and Colorado must prioritize efforts to ensure families of all colors have access to the economic opportunities they need to meet their basic needs and thrive,” Burns said. he said during a webinar on Tuesday.
The economic shock caused by the pandemic and ensuing inflation has taken a toll on child welfare in Colorado.
There are two key takeaways from this report:
- As of October 2022, 17 percent of households reported that their children were not eating enough due to lack of food availability.
- As of November 2022, 44% of households reported having difficulty paying for things like food, housing, and medical expenses, up from 32% in September 2020.
The pandemic also worsened the state’s affordable housing shortage, the report said. In 2021, nearly one in three children in Colorado will be in a housing-cost-burden household. This means that the household spends more than 30 percent of its monthly income on rent or mortgage. The situation is far worse for children from low-income households, with 70% living in homes with high housing costs.
“The good news is that economic opportunity is shaped by policy choices,” Burns said.
The report found that pandemic-era programs, particularly the expansion of the child tax credit, were effective in lifting children out of poverty. Early research suggests that the child tax credit is associated with reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety among low-income adults with children, demonstrating the important link between financial security and mental health. It has been shown to be relevant.
Here are key economic policy prescriptions to help Colorado families thrive.
- Public investment in income support, such as income guarantees and tax credits, for low-income households.
- Policies that promote housing stability, such as preventing families from being evicted from their homes and ensuring adequate access to rental assistance.
Children report feeling unsafe and not accepted. The report lists recommendations for dealing with stress.
Another student named in the report said people at the school did not feel safe or comfortable being themselves.
“There are no other openly gay people at my school. I don’t feel alone because I don’t know who to date or spend time with. I don’t have a community. I don’t feel like there’s any hope of finding love… There are bullies and it’s even worse on social media.”
The student suggested that one solution might be to create groups at school where gay students could meet each other.
The number of young people dying by suicide in Colorado nearly doubled between 2010 and 2021. In 2021, one in six Colorado high school students reported seriously considering attempting suicide in the past year. However, the number of teenagers dying by suicide in 2022 fell significantly for the first time in years, but the report revealed the reasons for the decline. Youth suicide rates were highest in the southwestern corner of the state, but lowest in rural resort counties.
The report identified several solutions, including:
- Effective coping and stress management skills.
- Adequate sleep (only a quarter of high school students reported sleeping more than 8 hours a night).
- Support from friends and family (82% said they could ask their parents or guardians for help with personal issues).
- Increased parental supervision.
- They had more opportunities to feel connected (65% said they felt they belonged at school, and just over a third said they enjoyed being there most or all of the time).
“student [can be] put a lot of pressure on [with the amount of work given to students]…You might end up staying up all night studying for a last-minute test or project,” one student reported. She said the students need to understand that schools are people too and that too much schoolwork and pressure can be detrimental to their health.
We need more mental health providers in schools.Almost half of Colorado school districts don’t have a licensed school psychologist.
Although the state has made progress in providing more social and emotional support in the classroom and up to six free therapy sessions through the I Matter program, there is a severe shortage of mental health professionals in schools. This has become a problem.
The ratio of public school students to certified school psychologists last year was 928:1, nearly twice the 500:1 ratio recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists, according to the first analysis of statewide data. For school social workers, Colorado had nearly four times the recommended rate.
Especially for students in rural areas, there are no experts to rely on. For example, 113 of his 178 school districts in Colorado did not have a certified school psychologist employed by the district. A similar number of school districts did not have school social workers. And 35 school districts had no school counselors. Forty-six of Colorado’s 64 counties did not have a practicing child or adolescent psychiatrist.
Students repeatedly cite high academic and extracurricular expectations as a significant source of stress, but there appears to be no widespread systemic change to address this.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers are focused on increasing mental health support for students in schools. They passed several bills this year, including expanding school-based preventive services and hiring more mental health staff.
This report highlights several programs that support young people. Second Wind Foundation, which provides free mental health therapy programs; A partnership for community work focused on building community among rural gay and gender diverse people. YAASPA is a nonprofit organization that empowers young people of color.
“Research shows that when young people of color understand their identity, they feel more confident in their academic and career decisions,” the report states.
The report also includes a number of recommendations, including universal mental health screening in schools and a greater focus on building relationships among peers within schools.
Other school-related survey results
In the 2021-2022 school year, more than one-third (36%) of Colorado students were chronically absent, a significant increase from 26% the previous year. The percentages ranged from less than 5 percent of students in the Idalia and Vilas school districts (Yuma and Las Animas counties, respectively) to 70 percent of students in the Centennial School District in Costilla County.
And for the state’s youngest children, there are only enough preschools, family child care facilities, and licensed child care centers to serve just two-thirds of the children estimated to need care. Last year’s survey showed that 61% of programs reported staffing shortages. Childcare workers’ wages are very low, with a median salary of $30,350.
- The number of children without health insurance fell by about 12,000, but post-pandemic policy changes mean more children are likely to lose coverage in the year ahead.
- The number of children killed by guns continues to rise. In Colorado, 83 Colorado children and youth under the age of 19 were killed by guns, the highest number in at least 20 years and more than double the number of children killed by guns in 2000. .
- Although the use of some substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, has declined in recent years, the number of deaths from over-the-counter prescription painkiller use and accidental overdoses has remained stagnant or increased.