The Waterbury State Office Complex seen on Friday, June 23, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA third of Vermont high school students say they struggle with poor mental health, a survey from the state’s Department of Health found. The 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which was released Nov. 19, also found that students are “reporting self-harm and making suicide plans at the same rates as during the Covid-19 pandemic,” according to a Friday press release from the department. The survey asked students from 57 high schools and 106 middle schools in Vermont questions about physical violence, bullying, mental health, substance use, sexual health, physical activity and nutrition. The high school survey also featured questions about motor vehicle safety, sexual and dating violence and an expanded category on substance use.“In line with national trends, we are seeing young people in Vermont grappling with persistent feelings of hopelessness and isolation in a much more pronounced way than was the case among the same age groups 10 years ago,” Kelly Dougherty, the health department’s deputy commissioner, said in the release.Thirty-four percent of high school students reported experiencing “not good” mental health — stress, anxiety and depression — for most of the time over the past 30 days. Female and LGBTQ+ students reported poor mental health and self-harm at significantly higher rates than their peers.Relatedly, 23% of high school students and 21% of middle school students reported self-harm in the past year. The department describes self-harm as “something such as cutting or burning themselves to hurt themselves on purpose without wanting to die.” When it comes to support, only 7% of high school students and 5% of middle school students felt like they had an adult who is not a family member they can talk to when feeling “sad, empty, hopeless, angry, or anxious.”On the other hand, only 1 in 5 high school students reported never experiencing poor mental health, while half of middle school students reported “never or rarely experiencing poor mental health.”When surveyed about sexual health, 49% of high school students — down 13% from 2013 — reported using a condom the last time they had intercourse. Similarly, 51% of middle schoolers said they had used a condom during their most recent intercourse.Forty-seven percent of middle school students said they had been bullied while on school property, and 30% said they had been bullied electronically. For high school students, only 21% of students said they had experienced bullying.For both age groups, students who identify as being female or LGBTQ+ are more likely to experience bullying. Students who are Black, Indigenous or people of color also reported bullying online, however, only high school students reported higher levels of bullying in person. The survey did find some positive trends: Alcohol use was down 10% from 2013, cigarette use was down 6% from 2017 and electronic vapor product use was down 18% from 2019. The Department of Health collects student responses for the Youth Risk Behavior Survey every two years, typically during the spring semester, in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was first implemented in Vermont in 1993 for eighth-12th grade students, and since 2011 has been separated into two parts — high school results (ninth-12th grade) and middle school results (sixth-eighth grade).The data collected from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey aims “to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disease, injury and social problems among youth,” according to the department. The results of the survey are used in Vermont in a variety of ways, such as seeking recommendations and grants from programs and community partners. Students themselves are also sometimes given the opportunity to evaluate the data and work with staff at their school to implement changes, according to Kristen Murray, a public health analyst from the department. “We have a responsibility as adults to believe what these students are telling us about how they feel and to treat this growing crisis with the urgency it deserves,” Dougherty said in the release.Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont teens’ mental health has not improved since Covid-19 pandemic, survey finds.