Survey says? Results on kids’ mental health, religious freedom

This week’s column will highlight a couple of recent surveys, of Wisconsin youth and the American public. To start, the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health released its annual report recently, with some troubling findings.

“As the data in this report show, levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts continue to present at extremely concerning rates, especially among girls, children of color, and LGBTQ youth,” Linda Hall, director of the Office of Children’s Mental Health, wrote.

The report lists several data points and compares the current data to baseline data from approximately five years ago, when available. Several data points indicate that Wisconsin is going in the wrong direction – meaning current data mark a statistically signifcant departure from baseline data. Those data points are: -- The number of students using electronics three or more hours on average school days (not for school work) is 75%, compared to the baseline of 40%.

-- The number of students who feel they belong at school dropped from the baseline of 71% to 61%.

-- The percentage of high school students feeling sad or hopeless increased from 27% to 34%.

-- The percentage of LGBT youth seriously considering suicide increased from 43% to 48%.

-- The percentage of young adults (ages 1825) experiencing any mental illness increased from 26% to 37%.

It’s hard to know what to do to address all these issues, but on an individual level, a few thoughts come to mind. One, if you have a young person in your life, make sure to regularly check on them and see if they’re doing OK. Ask them about their life and show an interest. Take the time to really listen. Spend time with them doing activities they enjoy (without screens if possible).

If you have the time and ability to do so, consider mentoring, tutoring or coaching young people. Although a young person’s parents or guardians are generally the adults with the most influence on their lives, the more positive role models they have, the better. The more of a support system a young person can have beyond their immediate family, the better. You can also set an example with your own healthy habits and how you cope with stressors or setbacks. As the saying goes, healthy habits are caught rather than taught.

Also, remember that if someone you know talks about considering suicide, make sure to take them seriously. Don’t just brush it off. Sometimes a person is just looking for an empathetic ear – someone, anyone to truly listen. Don’t discount the value of that and don’t think you have to have all the answers.

Also, don’t hesitate to use the resources available. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is avaiable 24/7 by calling or texting 988. The Crisis Text Line is also available at 741741.

The report was not all negative news. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some positives.

-- The teen birth rate per 1,000 decreased from 13.8 (baseline) to 10.1, which is statistically significant.

-- There was a decrease in low-income youth, from 35% to 29%.

-- The number of students regularly drinking alcohol (at least one drink one day in the prior month) decreased from 30% to 26%.

-- The percentage of students getting eight hours of sleep on an average school night increased slightly from 26% to 28%.

Also, the total number of psychiatrists, school social workers, school counselors and school psychologists increased from 4,092 to 4,421. It’s good that more of these trained workers are available for students who are struggling – provided they are competent, of course. However, ideally we need to get to the root causes of why more kids are struggling in the first place and address those, in hopes that not as many will need mental health interventions.

-On another note, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty released its fifth annual Religious Freedom Index on Jan. 16, National Religious Freedom Day. The nonprofit surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults from Sept. 28 to Oct. 5, 2023, asking them questions about six dimensions related to religious freedom, including religious pluralism, religion and policy, religious sharing, religion in society, church and state, and religion in action. Each dimension was assigned a score from 0-100, with 0 being “complete opposition to the principle of religious freedom at issue” and 100 being “complete support for the same principle.” The overall religious freedom index, found when averaging all the categories, reached a record high of 69 in 2023. In addition, the scores for all six categories increased or remained the same as last year. “Despite some efforts to turn religion into a scapegoat for our nation’s problems, most Americans believe that religion — and religious freedom — are key to solving them,” said Becket President and CEO Mark Rienzi in a statement, as quoted in the Christian Post. “As we celebrate Religious Freedom Day, we should remember that religious liberty remains the cornerstone of our effort to form a more perfect union.”

Some of the key findings from the survey came in the area of education and parental rights. The number of Americans who agreed that parents should be able to opt out their children from content in school that they found morally objectionable increased from 63% to 67%. There was also a significant increase in the percentage of people who felt religion/people of faith were part of the solution to our country’s problems. When asked, “when it comes to issues and what happens today in our country, would you say that people of faith and religion are part of the problem or part of the solution?” 58% said they were part of the solution, a 8-point percentage increase from the year before.

While space prevents me from diving into more survey findings, they are worth taking a look at yourself. It’s encouraging to know that many Americans still highly value religious freedom, a vital right protected by the First Amendment.

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