The CDC’s latest survey of high school students’ mental health has been released, and there’s plenty of reason for concern, but also some good news.

These surveys are done annually, and the newly-released data is from 2023, so the numbers do lag a little but seem to suggest that there has been some improvement in some measures since the pandemic. However, there are still high numbers of teens struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts.

Here’s what the CDC found and how it has changed from previous years.

Mental Health Struggles Worsened With The Pandemic

During the worst of COVID-19, many students struggled with distance learning. Social opportunities decreased, and many recreational activities, like sports and parties, were off the table, especially for those with delicate health or in homes with loved ones with delicate health.

At the same time, kids faced the possibility (and, for many, the reality) of losing loved ones to the virus.

As it dragged out through 2021, continuing to take lives, impact the economy, and alter social interactions, the CDC learned that 37% of high school students were suffering mental health struggles, 44% reported feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness, and 29% experienced the trauma of a parent losing their employment.

Unsafe situations also contributed — 11% said they suffered physical abuse by parents during this time, and 55% experienced emotional abuse.

In 2023, These Numbers Began To Drop (Slowly)

Newly released statistics show that, as of last year, kids are beginning to bounce back.

A Journal of the American Medical Association report shares that two in five students now report persistent sadness.

Those are still very serious numbers, and they warrant attention from parents and educators. We all need to check in with the teens in our lives regularly and make sure they’re okay.

They also show a reduction from two years before, however slight, and do represent hope that the effects of the pandemic on mental health won’t be permanent.

Other Mental Health Stats For Teens Are Still At High Levels

One significant concern is the rate of suicidal thoughts and attempts that kids are reporting.

About one in five says they’ve given thought to suicide, and one in ten says they’ve made at least one attempt. The study found some differences among demographics. Specifically, LGBT kids and Black and Hispanic kids were more likely to report suicide attempts. The report reads:

“Suicide risk indicators were particularly high for LGBTQ+ adolescents: 41% had serious suicidal thoughts and 20% had attempted suicide, compared with 13% and 6% of their heterosexual peers, respectively…A higher percentage of White students indicated poor mental health than Black or Hispanic students. But Black and Hispanic students were more likely to have attempted suicide than White students.”

All of these numbers, though, are high enough to remind us that mental health is a serious concern for our kids during high school years.

The Study Found Several “Protective Factors” To Implement

Though there are a lot of numbers in the study that are downright frightening, the CDC also found that there were other significant factors besides demographics.

Six different factors were deemed “protective,” and each one showed certain specific effects.

For instance, students who were physically active for an hour or more five or more days a week reported lower levels of persistent sadness. A sense of connectedness at school was associated with lower rates of all mental health and suicidal indicators.

Students involved in a sports team, which effectively combines the previous two factors, reported less sadness and fewer suicidal thoughts. However, their reported suicide attempts were not reduced compared to other students.

The other three factors are implemented in the home.

Students who reported getting 8 hours or more of sleep nightly also reported fewer mental health struggles. Those who said they had a parent or caregiver in the home who tried to meet their basic needs also reported better mental health.

High levels of parental monitoring stood as an outlier in the study. Kids reporting this had lower levels of suicidal thoughts and other mental health factors, except for self-reporting mental health struggles.

What’s The Takeaway For Parents & Educators?

Our teens are still suffering, but there are ways we can help them, in and out of school.

At home, we can do our best to meet their physical and emotional needs and encourage them to get enough sleep. Close monitoring seems to have some positive effects, but it may be causing kids to feel smothered, as indicated by their reports of mental health difficulties in this situation. So, parents may want to seek a balance between enough monitoring to make kids feel seen and cared for but not so much that they’re overwhelmed.

Parents and schools can encourage physical activity and support kids who are interested in sports in participation. Teachers and school administration, in particular, can continue to work at giving kids a sense of connection to their school community and making them feel safe in their learning environment.

Parents and teachers can work to keep their connections open and check in with teens about how they are feeling and functioning.