Belmont community examines results of Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Student mental health is on the minds of educators and parents in Belmont, as recent survey results show increased levels of youth stress, depression, and suicidal tendencies more then a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Belmont Public School students in grades 7-12 were given the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) this past spring, which netted more than 1,700 responses on topics related to substance misuse, mental health, bullying, and pandemic impact. First presented to the Belmont School Committee last month, results of the 2021 study will be shown to the Select Board on Dec. 6, followed by a presentation to the Belmont High School PTSO on Dec. 9. Members of the community are welcome to join both meetings to hear survey results.

More:COVID-19 and student mental health in Belmont

Survey sponsors

The YRBS is sponsored by the Belmont Wellness Coalition (BWC), a program of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, and by the global nonprofit organization Education Development Center (EDC), which has its world headquarters in Waltham. Belmont is one of eleven area communities represented in the study. The 2021 YRBS is the second such survey; the first was given to students and reported on in 2019. 

Older students more likely to drink alcohol or use marijuana/vape

Of 1,710 total responses, 1,055 were from Belmont High School students and 655 came from Chenery Middle School pupils. With regards to substance use, the data shows that older students are more likely to drink alcohol and use marijuana or vape, though use of each of these substances decreased overall from survey results taken two years ago.

Lisa Gibalerio, prevention specialist and program coordinator at the BWC, offers context with regards to how the data compares to 2019 survey results. "I think what most people see as a positive trend is a decrease in substance misuse (alcohol, marijuana, vaping) among students—though what I remind parents and educators is that the data was collected during the global pandemic shutdown, so it's hard to know how much of the decrease in use can be attributed to the shutdown phase," she said. 

Mental health results are concerning across all grades surveyed

Gibalerio points to student answers on mental health questions as a concern. “A negative trend...is the increase in reported mental health issues (e.g., depression, suicide ideation) and stressors. We do speculate that the social isolation caused by pandemic restrictions might be contributing to this trend, as well as the lack of access to mental health supports. There simply has not been enough 'supply' of mental health resources to meet the increased demand from those who have needed support during this challenging time,” she said. 

BHS students were questioned on five specific categories related to mental health: self-harm, overwhelming stress, depression, whether they have considered suicide, and whether they have made an actual suicide plan.

Data showed that 12% of high schoolers who responded said they had undergone self-harm, 31% responded they had felt overwhelming stress, 28% of respondents admitted to feeling depressed, 12% responded they had considered suicide, and 9% admitted that they had created a suicide plan. That 9% of respondents to the question equals 89 students. 

Chenery Middle School students were questioned on whether they considered suicide or had made a suicide plan; and 18% of those respondents answered they'd considered suicide, while 9% (or 56 students) answered they made a suicide plan.

Role of gender identity and race

Gender identity plays a large role in percentage weight of students who report mental health issues, with students identifying as gender queer reporting higher instances across the board, followed by female students, and then male students. This pattern is for both high school and middle school students. Race also plays a role, with high school students identifying as multiracial reporting much higher percentages of self-harm and making a suicide plan; and middle school students identifying as multiracial reporting the highest percentages of both considering suicide and making a suicide plan. Gibalerio says it has been important to include and aggregate all data to truly understand what all students are going through. "It's important to be looking at where the vulnerabilities exist so that we can identify them and offer supports to students in meaningful ways," she said. 

School demands and pandemic-related stressors

In terms of stressors, both high school and middle school respondents ranked school demands and expectations as the top stressor in their lives, with busy schedules coming in second for both groups. Pandemic-related fears also played a role: a majority of both groups—70% of high school respondents and 55% of middle school respondents—reported "feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration" during the pandemic.

Student perspective

Jack Callanan, a freshman at BHS, says he sees the need for such surveys. 

"Yes, I think they are important as a way to check up on kids to see how they are doing at school, at home, and in our everyday lives," he said. In terms of mental wellness, Callanan says being back at school helps. "It's much better being there in person. It's helpful in terms of learning, for example in physics where we do labs. I also like being with friends."

Outcome of 2019 survey

An important outcome of the 2019 YRBS was the creation of a student group as an extension to the BWC to represent student voices. "We felt it was important to hear directly from students on things like stress and access to substances so that we don't have to speculate," said Gibalerio. A parenting group was created at the time, as well, to allow parents to share concerns. The parent group meets monthly to discuss topics of importance to them. 

Both groups are open to all BHS students and all parents in the community. For details, or to speak with Gibalerio directly, email Lisa_Gibalerio@waysideyouth.org.

For more information

Visit the Belmont Public School website under “Committee” and “Public Documents” to see presentations of the YRBS results.