Resources

Addressing the Teen Mental Health Crisis

A recent CDC report shows that teenage health and well-being are declining, and schools can play a key role in reversing this trend.

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A Worrying Trend in Adolescent
Well-Being

In February of 2023, the CDC released its 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and the results were concerning. Despite a few improvements, most adolescent health and well-being indicators have declined for the past decade. Of the 21 longitudinally tracked metrics, 14 have stalled or are moving in the wrong direction.

16%

of adolescents were electronically bullied during the past year

42%

of adolescents experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness

22%

of adolescents seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year

Growing Disparity Across Student Groups

Findings are especially concerning for female students, who reported worse outcomes than their male peers in 21 of the 29 health indicators.

Female students were almost 2x more likely to experience cyberbullying, sexual violence, feelings of persistent sadness, or seriously consider suicide over their male counterparts.

“We can’t simply treat our way out of this youth mental health crisis. There are not enough providers [to address the scale of the need]… We need to be taking a public health approach with our young people. One of the most essential places to do that is in schools.”

Dr. Sharon Hoover

Principal Investigator and Director of the National Center for Safe Supportive Schools

Connection in School as a Key Lever for Change

Research from the CDC and other sources indicates that school connectedness in adolescence is key in reducing emotional distress, suicidal ideation, physical violence, and many of the other indicators associated with negative short and long-term outcomes for teens. For students to build a strong foundation that nurtures a strong sense of self, reduces risky behaviors, and leads to academic success, they need support in developing three distinct types of connection:
‍

Connection to Self: PurposeUnderstanding who they are and what they value

Connection to Peers: Belonging Nurturing comfort and safety amongst peers

Connection to Community: ImpactUsing gifts and strengths to have a positive impact on the world around them

Recommendations for Building a Connected School Culture

Finding ways to increase school connectedness can have a tremendous impact on student outcomes both in and out of the classroom. While there are many ways to take on this challenge, best practices include:

Encouraging agency + developing student purpose

Fostering belonging

Monitoring student needs

Making time for student well-being

Nurturing the needs of adults

For best practices, strategies, and models for building a more connected school culture, download our latest guide.

About Wayfinder

Wayfinder provides educators with the tools to reinvigorate connection within the classroom. Designed at the Stanford d.school, our program leverages the power of purpose, belonging, and SEL to help students and staff reconnect with themselves, their peers, and the broader community. We offer a range of tools that fits the needs of your school or district:

K-12 research-backed Core Curriculum

Activity Library with 2000+ relevant and engaging activities

Collections curated to address timely needs such as bullying, cybersafety, and financial literacy

Assessment suite to track growth on skill development and wellbeing

Adult SEL to nurture the needs of your staff