How Teen Girls are Faring Emotionally since the COVID-19 Pandemic
Steering Committee
March 6, 2022
As we observe Women’s History Month DMCC started thinking about how girls and young women are faring in this time of instability and change. We all know that children and adolescents in the United States (U.S.) are not faring well. We have provided information in the past about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected all people but hit our youth especially hard. So much so that the U.S. surgeon general announced a public health advisory in 2021 regarding the state of youth mental health after the interruptions that occurred due to COVID-19.1 One of the things that has been talked about less is the fact that girls have less favorable outcomes than boys. One study showed that during the pandemic there was an increase in emergency room visits by children and teens – with a significant number of visits from girls 12-17 who presented with eating and tic disorders.2 Other studies confirmed this increase in eating3 and tic4 disorders in girls during the pandemic, even though tic disorders usually develop in early childhood and typically affect boys more than girls. The phenomenon led to many blaming social media for the increase in both disorders in girls.
Recently the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) were released, and it showed that although there are some areas where youth are doing better than in years past, the results showed that girls and young women are struggling.5 The YRBS is released every two years and gives us a snapshot of how youth in the U.S. are faring, specifically in mental health status and risk behaviors. Some of the findings from this year’s survey include the following:
- Teen girls are experiencing record high levels of violence and persistent sadness
- In the measures of substance use, mental health, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, teen girls are faring much worse than teen boys
- 30% of female students drank alcohol during the past 30 days
- Female students were more likely than their peers to engage in every substance use behavior
- 20% of female students experienced sexual violence by anyone
- 14% of female students had been forced to have sex
- 60% of female students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- 25% of female students made a suicide plan
- Female students felt less connected to school
- Female students are almost twice as likely to be bullied electronically and more likely to be bullied at school
The data from the YRBS is striking. It is imperative for all of us to work together to mitigate the circumstances that are causing girls to struggle. Schools can help by:
- Implementing quality social and emotional learning programs
- Helping girls recognize and name their feelings and find what works to lessen feelings of sadness and uncertainty is key in helping them feel connected and supported
- Providing opportunities for youth development and recognizing accomplishments
- This helps girls to value qualities such as intelligence or artistic or athletic abilities over appearance – which can be over-emphasized in today’s teens’ world often ruled by social media
- Encouraging girls to work together and to root for one another instead of competing can go along way in helping girls feel connected to each other
- Showcasing how women have impacted history, politics, and science in the U.S. and around the world
- Providing quality health education
- Especially relationship and sex education
- Making school environments safe
- Especially for female students
- Professional development opportunities for staff
- Especially in all forms of bullying and how to prevent it from happening
- Engaging parents and caregivers and community partners
- Particularly to provide opportunities for girls to connect with women in the community who are leaders in their professions and who are willing to share their stories and be mentors
- Access to needed services
- Ensuring that girls have access to needed additional services when indicated is important to ensure that their needs are met at the earliest signs of distress
These are just some of the positive steps we can all take toward helping girls overcome the effects of COVID-19 as we move toward a post-pandemic world. We look forward to being your partner in this work.
References:
- Protecting Youth Mental Health, The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, 2021
- Radhakrishnan L, Leeb RT, Bitsko RH, et al. Pediatric Emergency Department Visits Associated with Mental Health Conditions Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January 2019–January 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:319–324. DOI
- CNN Disordered Eating
- Psychiatry News Room
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Data Summary and Trends Report, 2011-2021
- CBS Local News
Resources:
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