A groundbreaking new tool, the Youth Mental Health Tracker, developed by Surgo Health, has revealed some surprising data about the state of youth mental health in the United States. While the mental health crisis among young people has been well-documented in recent years, the new Youth Mental Health Tracker takes a more optimistic approach to the data.
The big takeaways, and some good news
The survey pulls together the experiences of over 4,500 young people from across the country, and focuses on the more uplifting pieces of data they uncovered. For example, it found that almost half of young people reported doing well, and haven’t experienced any significant mental health issues in the past two years. Even among those who reported struggling with their mental health recently, 50 percent remain optimistic about their future.
The tracker also reveals that 9 out of 10 young people are regularly engaging in activities to improve their mental health and wellbeing, such as prioritizing exercise, social interaction, and good sleep hygiene. This may be, in part, thanks to the spotlight put on youth mental health in recent years, and the surge in initiatives and media focused on improving mental health outcomes and awareness.
Some kids are struggling more than others
While the Youth Mental Health Tracker paints a generally optimistic picture, there were some groups of young people who reported experiencing more negative mental health outcomes than their peers. One group that was highlighted as being particularly impacted by the youth mental health crisis was LGBTQ+ people.
Hannah Kemp, Vice President of Strategic Client Delivery at Surgo Health explained in an interview with Advocate, “LGBTQ+ young people are really struggling more than non-LGBTQ+ when you look at every measure…we’re finding that they’re having much tougher life experiences—discrimination, parents that don’t support them.”
According to the survey results, LGBTQ+ young people were three times more likely to feel dissatisfied with their lives compared with non-LGBTQ+ people. About half of the LGBTQ+ youth surveyed felt unsupported by their families—a rate about twice as high as that reported by non-LGBTQ+ people in the survey group.
LGBTQ+ young people also face discrimination at a much higher rate than non-LGBTQ+ youth, with 76% of LGBTQ+ people in the survey reporting experiences of discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Discrimination is shown to increase the likelihood of negative mental health outcomes for those who experience it.
What parents can do to protect their kids’ mental health
The survey dug into the impacts of family support as a key indicator of mental health outcomes. It uncovered that youth who feel emotionally supported by their family are 1.5 times more likely to feel satisfied with their lives than those who do not feel supported.
Aside from the emotional toll, a lack of parental support can also create logistical roadblocks for teens seeking to improve their mental health. For example, 83 percent of young people did not seek care because they were worried about talking to their parents. This barrier to access prevented nearly one-third of youth with significant mental health struggles from seeking care, mainly due to concerns about family acceptance, financial burden, or uncertainty about care options. Over 60 percent of youth who needed care did not complete their course of treatment.
Previous studies have shown that, particularly for LGBTQ+ teens, family acceptance is the strongest indicator of positive mental health outcomes. Acceptance, validation, and empathy from parents can boost any teen’s chances of maintaining good mental health and wellbeing throughout their youth and even into adulthood.
Regular family check-ins, open and ongoing dialogue about mental health, and providing mental health resources to teens and young adults will increase the likelihood that they seek care when they need it. Check out these additional ParentsTogether resources for supporting teens’ mental health—
