Feb 13, 2023 - Health

Teen girls "engulfed" in sadness and violence, new report says

the sign of Center for Disease Control headquarters is seen in Atlanta, Georgia,

The sign of Center for Disease Control headquarters is seen in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Teen girls are experiencing record high levels of sadness and violence, according to a new report published Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Driving the news: According to the report, 57% of teen girls in 2021 reported feeling "persistently sad or hopeless" over the past year, up from 36% in 2011 and the highest rate seen in the last decade.

  • By comparison, 29% of teen boys reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, compared to 21% in 2011.
  • LGBTQ+ students and students with same-sex partners also reported high levels of sadness and hopelessness in 2021, at 69% and 78% respectively.

State of play: About 30% of teen girls said they had seriously considered attempting suicide, up from 19% in 2011.

  • About 14% of teenage boys said the same, a marginal increase from 13% in 2011.
  • LGBTQ+ students (45%) and students with same-sex partners (58%) also reported seriously considering suicide.
  • American Indian or Alaska Native students, at 27%, reported higher rates of such thoughts than students of other racial or ethnic backgrounds.

Of note: 18% of teen girls said they had experienced some form of sexual violence in the past year, compared to only 5% of teen boys.

  • The rate of teen girls who have experienced sexual violence has increased by 20% since 2017, when the CDC first started tracking the measure, per ABC News.
  • "The percentage of male students who experienced sexual violence by anyone did not change," the report stated.

Nearly 15% of teen girls said they had ever been forced to have sex, a 27% jump from 2019 and the first increase since the CDC began tracking the metric, per the Washington Post.

  • 4% of teen boys said they had ever been forced to have sex, with no increase reported.
  • 18% of American Indian or Alaska Native teens reported ever having been forced to have sex, higher than students of other racial and ethnic groups.
  • LGBQ+ teens (20%) and teens who had any same-sex partners (37%) were more likely to have ever been forced to have sex.

What they're saying: "America's teen girls are engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma," Debra Houry, the CDC's chief medical officer, said at a press briefing Monday.

  • "Over the past decade, teens — especially girls — have experienced dramatic increases in experiences" of violence, poor mental health, violence and suicide risk, Houry added.
  • "The numbers are unprecedented," Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, said Monday, NBC News reported.

Editor's note: If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988lifeline.org. En Español.

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