Survey of Alaska youth reveals more mental health problems, but also some positive trends

A motion astatine Anchorage’s Service High School, seen connected Aug. 13, 2024, explains that baccy usage is prohibited astatine nan property. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska teens are much apt to beryllium depressed and person suicidal thoughts than were teens a decade ago, and immoderate intelligence wellness problems person accrued notably among girls, according to results from nan state’s astir recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Administered successful 2023 to astir 1,200 precocious schoolhouse students astir nan state, nan study recovered numerous negative trends.

Of nan respondents, 19% reported attempting termination astatine slightest erstwhile complete nan past year, compared to 8.7% successful nan 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Twenty-three percent said they had considered suicide, compared to 14.5% successful 2011. And 43% reported emotion sad aliases hopeless for specified extended periods that they were not capable to transportation retired immoderate of their accustomed activities, compared to 25.9% who reported emotion that measurement successful nan 2011 survey.

Alaska’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey is administered to students each 2 years, though 2021 was skipped because of nan COVID-19 pandemic and nan resulting schoolhouse closures. Results were released this period by nan Alaska Division of Public Health.

In galore mental-health measures, girls reported much problems than boys. Among female respondents successful 2023, 56% reported emotion excessively sad to prosecute successful their accustomed activities, versus 32% for antheral respondents. While 20% of each respondents reported being cyberbullied – up from 15% successful 2011 – 25% of nan girls said they had been victimized that way.

Other study results revealed worsening manner habits. High schoolers maintaining a patient weight dropped to 64.3% successful 2023 from 71.9% successful 2011. More students, 53.1%, reported drinking astatine slightest 1 sugary beverage successful nan anterior week successful nan 2023 survey, compared to 44.9% successful 2011. Those engaging successful nan recommended 60 minutes of regular workout dropped to 18% successful 2023 from 21.3% successful 2011.

Lindsey Kato, head of nan Alaska Division of Public Health, said she was saddened by nan findings.

“My bosom breaks for our young Alaskans who are struggling and for families crossed nan state,” Kato said successful a statement. “These statistic reenforce nan continued activity that is needed to support our children and families to amended organization connectedness, economical stability, and entree to value wellness services; nan request for nationalist wellness and nationalist information to activity broadside by broadside our unit prevention work, truthful that Alaskans tin attraction connected things for illustration beingness activity, education, and nutrition. We cognize that each of this is connected, we cognize that these results are felt successful our communities and seen successful nan state’s accrued rates of overdose and precocious rates of suicide.” 

The Alaska results reflector immoderate of the national trends, arsenic reported by nan U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, surveys show much intelligence wellness distress, including thoughts of suicide, peculiarly among girls.

However, nan Alaska study besides shows immoderate affirmative trends.

Members of nan Barrow High School shot squad believe astatine nan Utqiagvik section connected Aug. 3, 2022. Statewide, precocious schoolhouse students are little apt than successful past years to get nan recommended 60 minutes of regular exercise, according to results of nan 2023 Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Use of baccy products, including physics cigarettes, and vulnerability to baccy fume is down, arsenic is depletion of alcohol, according to nan results.

Tobacco usage continues its semipermanent diminution among precocious schoolers, according to nan results. For example, 6.5% of nan 2023 study respondents said they had smoked a cigaret successful nan anterior 30 days, compared to 14% successful 2011.

Of nan students responding to nan survey, 16.9% said they had consumed an alcoholic beverage successful nan anterior 30 days, compared to 29% successful 2011.

The usage of e-cigarettes, a comparatively caller product, has changed importantly successful caller years. The latest study suggests that nan fame of vaping among Alaska precocious schoolers is declining. In 2023, 17.3% reported vaping complete nan anterior 30 days, importantly little complaint than nan 26.1% measured successful 2019 and akin to nan 17.7% complaint recorded successful 2015, nan first clip nan younker study queried students astir e-cigarettes.

The alteration successful vaping “is evidently a really breathtaking point to see,” said Katie Steffens, lawman programme head for the Alaska Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

The program, which is portion of nan Division of Public Health, has a wide-ranging strategy to discourage vaping, including moving pinch schools, organization groups and a “Not Buying It” run to antagonistic e-cigarette companies’ youth-focused marketing.

“It’s a very broad effort,” Steffens said. “I don’t cognize that there’s immoderate 1 point that would lead to this, but we person a batch of strategies that we’ve learned pinch cigaret usage among nan younker successful nan past that we’ve been utilizing to reside e-cigarette usage today.”

One portion of nan strategy is establishing alternatives to world suspensions that person been routinely meted retired to students who fume aliases vape astatine school. Students lost much than 1,800 schoolhouse days in 2018 and 2019 because of specified suspensions, according to the  Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

An replacement response, which is supported by nan American Lung Association, is an acquisition programme that informs students astir nan wellness risks while allowing them to proceed attending people arsenic normal.

The Tobacco Prevention and Control programme recommends that schools and communities that person nan capacity for it usage nan alternatives to suspension truthful students “can get that education, that they request to understand much astir what these products are doing to their health,” Steffens said.