Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
In the spring of 2018, "Transcript" reporters Amy Wobbema and Rachel Brazil teamed up to write a series on the difficult topics of youth suicide and bullying. The series was in direct response to the results of the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS) taken by students grades 7-12 at New Rockford-Sheyenne School (NR-S) in 2017.
The YRBS is administrated to students every two years and has become imperative for tracking changes in youth behavior, developing risk prevention and health promotion programs, and obtain grant dollars to fund these efforts. But even more so, the results of the YRBS echo the voices of the youth in the community and can inform and inspire as to how we as a community can best support our youth.
The North Dakota YRBS survey was completed by 11,109 high school students from 97 North Dakota schools during the late winter/early spring of 2019. At New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School, the YRBS was completed by 78 high school students. This year's report offers insight into trends that have occurred over the past years.
One of the most concerning topics that are covered in the YRBS is that of suicide. It is heartbreaking to think our youth are struggling in life to such a degree, that they are considering ending their life. In this most recent survey, high school students at NR-S reported a decline in suicidal ideation. In the 2017 YRBS results, 26.2% of students reported they had considered suicide. The 2019 results yield a percentage of 14.1%, a decline of 12.1%.
In the past years, many efforts have resulted in suicide prevention in the past years including the implementation of Sources of Strength at the school as well as continued programming and discussion within the community. As mental health continues to be a major topic of discussion, students seem to have become more aware of their own mental health status. This is reflected in the students who reported that their mental health was not good (including stress, depression, and problems with emotion on at least one day during the 30 days before the survey.) The total was 76.9%.
Given the high percentage of students who reported experiencing poor mental health, it is important to note another encouraging trend. The percent of students who reported feeling sad or hopeless every day for at least two weeks in a row for 12 months before the survey has decreased 7.1% since the 2017 survey.
One trend that continued from 2017 is that NR-S students are reportedly more engaged in school activities and physical activity than their peers throughout the state. As the chart on page 1 shows, the percentage of students who engage in 60 minutes of physical activity at least five times per week has increased at NR-S while it has decreased statewide. NR-S high school students also reported a 6.2% increase in participation of school activities one or more hours per week, with a total of 80.8% involvement, a level that is 11.2% greater than the state average.
Another topic previously measured in the YRBS and discussed in our 2017 series is that of bullying. Unfortunately, the trends are not as promising. As chart 3 above illustrates, 21.1% of high school students reported they had been bullied on school property in 2017. The totals for NR-S in the 2019 YRBS reflect a staggering 13.5% increase, even though the activity has reportedly decreased statewide. This is a trend that continues into the world of cyber technology. The percentage of students who reported having been bullied online has increased by 2%, from 23.7% to 25.6%. This includes being on the receiving end of hurtful texts, memes and comments.
The percentage of students who reported having been bullied online also decreased statewide, by 3.1%. We know that change takes time, but the fact that reports of bullying are on the rise surely make us want to keep working on it. There are many more elements of the YRBS which will be published at a later date, especially in regard to substance use.
Read the "Transcript" for more insights we can use to build programs that reduce risky behavior among our youth and retain a healthy community.
