HLTH 349 Week 3 Discussion Board Forum 2 Example

Discussion Board Forum 2: Adolescents, Young Adults and Adults

HLTH 349 Policy and Public Health, Discussion Board Forum 2

Thread by [Student Name]

The classmates are composites; the textbook and the peer-reviewed sources cited are real.

Adolescent mental health has become one of the most urgent public health concerns in the country. Jones et al. (2022) reported results from a national survey of 7,705 high school students in early 2021. During the year before the survey, 44.2% had felt persistently sad or hopeless, 19.9% had seriously considered suicide and 9.0% had attempted it. In the same survey, 37.1% said their mental health had been poor most of the time during the pandemic. These are not small groups of troubled students; in a class of thirty, more than a dozen are struggling.

McKenzie et al. (2018) note that the leading health problems of adolescents and young adults are largely driven by behavior and social conditions rather than by disease, which is why prevention and community action are central to improving their health. Mental health fits that description. Family stress, isolation, bullying and pressure from social media all shape how young people feel. The chapter also notes that health habits formed in adolescence often carry into adulthood, so mental health problems left untreated in high school can shape a person's health for decades, from substance use to chronic disease.

Two findings stand out. First, Jones et al. (2022) found that students who felt close to people at school had far lower rates of every problem measured; for example, 35.4% of connected students reported persistent sadness compared with 52.9% of students who did not feel close to anyone at school, and suicide attempts were roughly half as common. Second, Riehm et al. (2019) followed 6,595 adolescents in a national cohort and found that those using social media more than three hours a day had a higher risk of later internalizing problems, such as depression and anxiety, even after adjusting for other factors. The study shows an association, not proof that social media causes these problems, but it suggests heavy use deserves attention. A teenager who feels known by one adult at school may be better protected than one whose phone has been taken away.

Policymakers often focus on restricting screens, but the connectedness finding suggests that funding mentoring, smaller advisory groups and school-based mental health services could do even more. A combined approach, limiting heavy use while strengthening relationships, fits the evidence best. States could support it by funding school-based health centers and training teachers to recognize warning signs and connect students with help.

Reply to Brooke

Brooke, you supported banning phones during the school day, and I think it could help, especially if it reduces the hours of use Riehm et al. (2019) linked to later problems. Still, a ban works best if it creates time for students to connect with each other and with adults. If lunch and breaks become more social because phones are put away, the policy may strengthen the connectedness that Jones et al. (2022) found so protective. I would also want schools to explain the reasons for a ban to students and families, since a rule that feels like punishment could damage the trust between students and staff that the policy depends on.

Reply to Darnell

Darnell, your point about school counselor ratios is important. Many schools have one counselor for several hundred students, which leaves little time for anyone who is struggling. McKenzie et al. (2018) stress that access to services shapes the health of young people, and a school where a student can see a counselor the same week is far more likely to catch problems early. Funding more counselors could be one of the most direct policy responses to the survey data. Counselors also do more than respond to crises; they help build the relationships and sense of belonging that protect students before problems become severe, so their value reaches beyond the students they see individually.

References

Jones, S. E., Ethier, K. A., Hertz, M., DeGue, S., Le, V. D., Thornton, J., Lim, C., Dittus, P. J., & Geda, S. (2022). Mental health, suicidality, and connectedness among high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January-June 2021. MMWR Supplements, 71(3), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7103a3

McKenzie, J. F., Pinger, R. R., & Seabert, D. M. (2018). An introduction to community & public health (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Riehm, K. E., Feder, K. A., Tormohlen, K. N., Crum, R. M., Young, A. S., Green, K. M., Pacek, L. R., La Flair, L. N., & Mojtabai, R. (2019). Associations between time spent using social media and internalizing and externalizing problems among US youth. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(12), 1266-1273. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2325