Why the end of summer can be stressful for Indy kids
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
As students have returned to classrooms throughout Indianapolis in recent weeks, stress levels among kids may be rising.
Why it matters: Feelings of loneliness and social isolation among kids and teens increased during the pandemic and continue to worsen as increased social media use isolates them from in-person connection with peers.
- Kids' mental health is now parents' top concern in Pew Research Center polling, ranked higher than gun violence or drugs and alcohol.
What they're saying: Bwana Clements — director of the Morningstar Afrocentric Wellness Center that opened last fall to address a lack of Black-owned mental health facilities in Indy — said stress levels in young people spike as the excitement of a new school year fades.
- "One of the largest stressors is going from unstructured time to structured time," he said. "It's now a force being put on you that you've not had for the last eight to 12 weeks. And it's not like there's a warm up for it."
- "They ask students to come back on a Thursday, and by Monday you've got homework."
The latest: Indiana ranked 27th in the nation for youth mental health and treatment in Mental Health America's 2024 report, down from 23rd the year before.
- The group used seven metrics to determine the rankings, including the reported rate of suicidal ideation, substance use disorder and a major depressive episode within the past year.
By the numbers: The percentage of Hoosier students who reported feeling sad or hopeless almost daily for two weeks climbed from 29% in 2016 to 36% in 2022, per the Indiana Youth Institute's 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book.
- Indiana ranks 10th for the rate of children at risk of depression and 15th for youth at risk for suicidal ideation.
Zoom in: Tammi and David Broadus, owners of Indianapolis Counseling & Mentoring, say parents can help by being mindful of their own stress levels when they interact with their children.
- "If you're having a lot of anxiety and panic when getting your child ready for school, your child is going to pick up on that energy," Tammi Broadus said.
- David Broadus said when dealing with young kids unable to explain the root of their anxieties, sitting down and helping them understand the size of a problem can be effective.
- "Is it a little problem, a medium problem or a large problem?" he said. "Regularly assess their problems to keep those problems small."
Between the lines: Local life coach and motivational speaker Ukweli Ushuhuda, who works with older teens, says one big problem for that age group is a lack of structure and the allure of having a career without formal education.
- "They're at an age where they said that they don't even want to go to school. They want to work," he said. "They see people online making money, and they're frustrated. So we have to teach self love and positive energy."