Teen Mental Health and COVID-19

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gulliot-Wright S ; Temple JR
• Description:
  The National Institute for Mental Health has awarded The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) researchers with a $3.5 million grant to continue studying teen mental health during COVID-19. Researchers from the UTMB Center for Violence Prevention and School of Nursing will measure the impact of virtual and in-person learning, the ability to access education and technology, relationships between parent and children, and whether and how school disruptions may have affected mental health. The research will help uncover the short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic on teen mental, social, and behavioral health, as well as the benefits of administering healthy relationship programming in schools. Background: 1) Adolescent mental health was a concern prior to the pandemic. The stress, isolation, financial problems, and school disruptions caused by COVID-19 made this problem even worse. 2) This study of about 2,500 students in southeast Texas is unique in that the researchers are able to account for pre-pandemic mental, social, and behavioral health. The longitudinal study follows youth from the 7th grade to 3 years post high-school. What the Evidence Says: 1) The stress and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with psychosocial health problems, even after accounting for pre-pandemic health. 2) This generation of adolescents will benefit from interventions designed to mitigate these mental and behavioral health impacts, like the healthy relationship program, Fourth R. The program is taught in the classroom and can reduce risk behaviors such as: Teen dating violence; Bullying; Substance use. Potential Policy Solutions: Teaching violence prevention transforms the health of communities and can lead to intergenerational healing. The Fourth R curriculum is a public health intervention that can reduce teen dating violence and improve mental wellbeing. Students, teachers, parents, and community members can interactively role-play to understand what a healthy relationship looks, sounds, and feels like. By experiencing healthy behaviors in the context of relationships, the Fourth R promotes mental health and improves decision-making skills. Further, it builds bridges between community agencies and school communities to foster equitable access to resources and services. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Communicable Diseases Education Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Violence
• Keywords:
  Adolescents COVID-19 Mental Health Policy Violence Prevention
• Publisher:
  utmb Health Center for Violence Prevention
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069956
• Citation:
  Policy issue brief. Galveston, TX: utmb Health Center for Violence Prevention, 2022 Dec; :1
• Email:
  jetemple@utmb.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Teen mental health and COVID-19
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a2903557104a7d30643fd89ae0969538f68f102c7fb8f0e43fd8a5d40fe8abca395f4bd8e873d992187eae653b7457fdc8bd2bc823c388fafd175d9cf84de917
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208274/cdc_208274_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.05 MB ]