By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Franklin County, MA) Communities That Care Coalition has released the data collected in their 20th annual survey of almost 1,600 Franklin County and North Quabbin middle and high school students. The nine school districts that participated in the survey include Athol/Royalston, Four Rivers Public Charter School, Franklin County Technical School, Frontier, Gill-Montague, Greenfield, Mohawk Trail, and Pioneer Valley, and Ralph C. Mahar.
The survey found that overall drug, alcohol, and vape use has dropped during the pandemic and remained low as in-person school and activities resumed. On the other hand, depression and anxiety symptoms have “skyrocketed to more than half of all students.” The top two sources of anxiety were social issues (including friendships, dating, teasing, etc.), and personal appearance.
Interestingly, the survey found that 33% of students said they use social media more than they would like.
The survey also looked at protective factors and community supports. The Coalition reports that there are community efforts to support youth mental health and they have “underscored the importance of family attachment – a measure which the Student Health Survey data shows has improved considerably locally over the last 20 years…and is strongly correlated with improved mental health.”
Communities That Care Coalition rotates their surveys each year. This year’s survey was the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey. There is also a School Climate Survey, a Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and in 2021 a new survey was administered called the COVID, Remote Learning, and Mental Health Survey. Information on all of the surveys from the past 20 years can be found here.