(Washington) The American health authorities sounded the alarm on Monday in the face of very worrying figures concerning the mental health of schoolchildren, in particular young girls, in a report analyzing changes over 10 years.
Nearly three in five female college students (57%) felt sad or hopeless in 2021 over a period of at least two weeks, leading them to interrupt their usual activities, according to this report from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control ( CDC), the nation’s top federal health agency.
This figure, which is about double that of boys, is a ten-year high. In 2011, only 36% of girls said the same.
In addition, one in three students (30%) have seriously considered suicide in 2021 – compared to 19% in 2011.
One in five (18%) experienced sexual violence in 2021, and more than one in ten (14%) were forced into sex.
These data come from a questionnaire conducted every two years with school students in the United States (between the ages of 15 and 18 approximately).
They “show that our teenagers need much more support to cope, hope and thrive,” CDC official Debra Houry said in a statement. “School-based prevention programs have proven to provide a vital lifeline in the face of these growing waves of trauma. »
The report also highlights that nearly 70% of LGBTQ students experienced a lingering sense of sadness or hopelessness in 2021, and more than one in five (22%) attempted suicide.
The most recent data was collected in the fall of 2021, when most schools were reopened after the closures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, although the daily lives of young people remained partly disrupted.
Other studies have shown the detrimental impact of the pandemic on adolescent mental health. The report points out, however, that this trend had begun before the arrival of the virus.