Education

NC high school students increasingly reported poor mental health before pandemic

In 2019, according to the presentation, 13.6% of students said they missed school at least once because they felt unsafe, compared to 6.8% in 2011.

Posted Updated
COVID-19 and mental health
By
Emily Walkenhorst
, WRAL education reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s high school students have for years been increasingly reporting depressed moods, lower self-image, feeling unsafe and not being physically active, according to a presentation to the North Carolina State Board of Education on Wednesday.

The latest results are from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The state will administer the next survey this fall.

Significant federal pandemic relief funds — $40 million — will go toward physical and mental health supports for North Carolina students.

On Thursday, the State Board of Education will consider a request from schools to allow them to use those same funds on wellness programming and mental health training for educators and staff with direct student contact as well.

In 2019, according to the presentation, 13.6% of students said they missed school at least once because they felt unsafe, compared with 6.8% in 2011, and that increase was consistent among all races identified.

Also in 2019, less than half of the surveyed high school girls said they felt good about themselves — 49.8%, compared with 74.7% in 2011. High school boys reported drop from 85.4% to 70.7%.

The share of high school students who said they had seriously considered suicide within a year prior to taking the survey has stayed about the same, but it continues to be far higher than average for LGBTQ students. In 2019, 15.8% of surveyed heterosexual students said they’d seriously considered suicide, while 44.4% of surveyed LGBTQ students said they had.

More students reported having periods of sadness and hopelessness, and that was true across all levels of academic achievement.

Currently, the state over-samples numerous counties, mostly as a part of the survey’s pilot process. A handful have asked to be over-sampled so they can compile county-level data. Overcounted counties include those in and out of major metropolitan areas.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.