Published: 10/11/2022 10:57:42 PM
Modified: 10/11/2022 10:57:32 PM
GREENFIELD — Impacts on student mental health and the changes in norms around the use of cannabis were standouts in the latest survey on substance use, mental health and the changing pressures faced by local youths.
The Communities That Care Coalition, a local anti-substance abuse and youth advocacy coalition, recently released the results of its 20th annual survey of middle and high school students in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. According to the coalition, 1,600 students throughout nine public school districts participated in the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey.
Kat Allen, co-coordinator of the Communities That Care Coalition, said students are surveyed every year, but this particular survey, which provides more information about underlying risk factors, is rotated in every few years. The last time this information was collected was in 2018.
“The Communities That Care Coalition will definitely be using this for strategic planning to choose priorities we should be focusing on for the next several years,” Allen explained. “If we decided that we want to make a difference in how young people are connected to their communities, then there’s a role for everyone to work toward that.”
Nick Hathaway, evaluation coordinator for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments’ Partnership for Youth, said declining mental health is often blamed on youths being “pushed into more virtual interactions.” In all grades surveyed, the percentage of youth experiencing depressive symptoms has increased.
“Social media is a double-edged sword,” Hathaway said. “It allows kids to be able to find their people a lot easier than they ever could before, but there’s also a huge negative impact … with the lurking that goes on and social media comparing. A lot of people are hurting now.”
Allen said the extent of the mental health crisis also stood out to her from the results of the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey.
“It shouldn’t be too surprising given the pandemic, but it’s also a trend that’s been happening over the last 10 years,” Allen said.
“Mental health has really been affected, not just by the pandemic,” Hathaway said. “In the last decade or so, we’ve been seeing skyrocketing symptoms of depression and anxiety on the rise. … That’s something we’re seeing in our data, but also across the country.”
Hathaway noted that while youth substance use continues to decline, the perceived risk of cannabis has, too.
“It’s really the wild, wild west right now, with regulations and advertisements that go out,” he said. “Kids are watching. They’re seeing a lot of the new relationships that people are embracing and taking cues from that.”
To that end, although cannabis use is also declining, it isn’t declining to the extent of other drugs and alcohol, Hathaway pointed out.
“An adult using cannabis is completely different than someone whose brain is developing using cannabis,” he said. “We have a lot of medical research showing it is much more harmful to a youth than an adult.”
Hathaway added that “it’s critical to keep an eye … on how kids are responding to the changing world around us.”
“There’s a lot to be gained by taking a look at the actual data and letting those inform our decisions, and keeping a close eye on how much the world is changing and in what ways,” he said.
Allen said the data can be used to help Franklin County and North Quabbin schools prioritize their focus with respect to students’ health and well-being.
“We will definitely be looking at the data to see where the greatest disparities are, and what groups of students we need to really be paying the most attention to,” she explained. “For example … gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are experiencing much more mental health problems right now than their straight cisgender counterparts, and so, how do we provide more support for these young people who are struggling the most?”
For details on the survey results, visit communitiesthatcarecoalition.com/surveys.
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.
