Survey offers insight on teen challenges

New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) students in grades 7 to 12 completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) last spring, and the local and statewide results were released at an NR-S School Board meeting recently. As illustrated in the graphs below, there are some themes of which administration and staff have taken notice.

The YRBS was introduced by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1991 and has been administered every other year to both junior high and high school students throughout the state since 1999.

The intent, according to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, is to identify issues and work towards addressing areas of concern by engaging in systematic initiatives and providing resources for students, families and communities.

The YRBS data was aggregated by local research and consulting firm, Winkelman Consulting of Fargo. Mark Winkelman, owner of Winkelman Consulting states, "Many schools, community organizations and state agencies use YRBS data to track changes in behavior of youth, develop risk prevention and health promotion programs and obtain grant dollars to fund these efforts."

Research indicates that data from the YRBS is credible and representative of the student population. More than 100 edit checks are conducted on each data set to remove inconsistent responses. For example, students who report using tobacco on a daily basis also must have reported trying tobacco, or the responses to these two questions will be deleted. Only a very small percentage of responses to each question are identified as inconsistent and removed from the data sets.

Further, the survey environment is designed to protect the anonymity of the students' answers. Students sit as far apart as possible throughout the classroom and are given an envelope to conceal their answers. Survey administrators do not walk around the classroom while students are taking the survey, and students are reminded that their privacy is protected and that honest answers are valued.

In 2017, 118 NR-S students grades 7-12 completed the survey, yielding results that provide a opportunity for families, schools and the community to partner in supporting youth in our community. The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments at safesupportivelearning.ed.gov states, "Family-school-community partnerships are a shared responsibility and reciprocal process whereby schools and other community agencies and organizations engage families in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways, and families take initiative to actively supporting their children's development and learning. Schools and community organizations also make efforts to listen to parents, support them and ensure that they have the tools to be active partners in their children's school experience."

When it comes to the YRBS results, New Rockford-Sheyenne is on the right track. Overall, NR-S student responses indicated strong involvement. Students reported higher levels of academic success than their peers across the state, indicating that they are positive about their scholarly achievements. In addition, more students at NR-S expressed that they were physically active and engaged in sports and other activities at school, indicating that the school's co-curricular and extra-curricular activities were well utilized. Of junior high students, 92.7 percent said they participate in school activities for one or more hours per week. This is 13.7 percent above the state average.

Family and social connections was another significant area of strength reported by students. "I believe our parents do a good job of communicating with their children," said Secondary Principal Avolt Baumbach. The survey results illustrate that is true. At least 80 percent of students surveyed reported that their parents had talked to them about risky behaviors, had set clear consequences for adverse behavior and had asked where they were going or with whom they would be most of the time. Also, more than 75 percent of high school students reported that there was at least one teacher or adult in school they were comfortable approaching with a problem. These strong social connections are important in addressing concerns that students have, and is one of the key factors shown to help people deal more effectively with stressful events and mitigate or eliminate risky behaviors.

Based on this data alone, it would seem that students are on a surefire path to success. However, student survey responses in regard to emotional well being remind us of one simple truth: being a teen is not easy. Teenagers experience a range of emotions as they learn to cope with disappointments and struggles in real life. In the process they can lash out at others or bottle their feelings within. One of the behaviors that has NR-S school administrators concerned is bullying. Two-thirds of the junior high students reported they had been bullied on school property. NR-S students in both junior high and high school also reported higher than average incidents of online bullying. As this is a concern, the school is already taking steps to address the behavior. Their goal is to promote respect and inclusion, communicate consistent expectations of behavior and establish clear consequences for adverse situations.

Also, nearly 29 percent of students who completed the survey reported feeling sad or hopeless every day for two weeks or more. While it is normal to feel down during times of stress or loss, prolonged sadness and hopeless can be an indicator for depression. Further, prolonged and untreated depression or anxiety can contribute to thoughts of self-harm and suicide, which were also topics on the survey. Among junior high students, 26.2 percent reported that they had thought about suicide. A similar question to high school students asked if they had seriously considered suicide, and 23.7 percent said that they had.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) at nasponline.org emphasizes the importance of resiliency factors in reducing suicide risks. Resiliency factors include adaptive coping and problem-solving skills, family support, open communication, strong social capital, good self-esteem and access to effective medical and mental health resources.

When asked about these resiliency factors, Mindy Meier, President of Eddy County Community Cares (ECCC) says, "Of the nine factors of resiliency, five are directly involved with being connected to other people. One could certainly argue the other four also are involved with human connection. Life is difficult; each of us will encounter hardship and suffering. Human beings need each other. As adults, it's important that we show young people it is okay to be vulnerable...to have hurt feelings, to feel disappointed and even depressed. They need to know it's okay to ask for help from a parent, a friend, a teacher or a counselor." The purpose of ECCC is to foster mental health, suicide prevention and awareness, and provide support for those who have been impacted by suicide. It is just one of many resources available in our community that can help youth build confidence, self-worth and positive relationships.

Throughout the coming weeks and months, the New Rockford Transcript will provide additional coverage on the many resources available and discuss how schools, families and the community as a whole can integrate these resiliency factors to best support the emotional wellness of our youth.