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September 2, 2022
In 2021, more than a third of US high school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the pandemic and 44% reported a persistent feeling of sadness and hopelessness during the past year. In recognition of Suicide Prevention Week in the US (commencing September 4), we’re highlighting leading social impact education innovator and long-time Beyond Sport partner, EVERFI’s digital curriculum addressing the topic. The module focuses on preventing teen mental health issues through early intervention strategies and is currently being rolled out in schools in the US.
In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 19-year-olds. A recent study illustrates the connection between rising suicide rates and digital self-harm, which is defined as the online posting, sending or sharing of hurtful content about oneself anonymously. Results show that 9% of teens reported that they had anonymously posted something online about themselves that was mean, while about 5% said they had anonymously participated in cyberbullying.
Additionally, 8% of adolescents reported that they had thought seriously about attempting suicide in the past year while 5.3% said they had attempted suicide during that time period. The study found that those engaged with digital self-harm were between five and seven times more likely to have considered suicide and between nine and 15 times more likely to have attempted to end their life.
EVERFI, recently acquired by Blackbaud, drives social impact through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society, including financial wellness, mental health and other critical topics. With a goal to spark an education movement, the company is dedicated to making a difference in young people’s lives through digital and face-to-face educational initiatives and modules. In June, EVERFI launched its newest module focused on supporting adolescent mental health. In addition to its popular K-12 mental health and wellness curriculum, it contains new educational content specifically designed to support students in developing tools and strategies for maintaining positive mental health.
The platform also includes the opportunity to practice peer-to-peer support through scenario-based learning. This type of early intervention education intends to address the national increase in both self-harm and suicide. Other updates to the curriculum contain coping and help-seeking skills, increased diversity and representation of identity groups, acknowledgment of the pandemic and its impact on mental health, increased functionality and interactivity and updated teacher resources.
The coronavirus pandemic intensified the decline in mental health among teens. Research during the pandemic shows that youth who felt socially connected were protected against poor mental health. According to the 2021 survey data, 13.84% of teens have had at least one major depressive episode in 2021, which is an increase of 260,000 cases from the previous year.
“As students struggle with their mental well-being, and schools face a shortage of trained professionals, such as social workers and guidance counselors, there is a need to provide high-quality resources to help schools address student mental health,” said Jon Chapman, president and co-founder, of EVERFI.
“By utilizing upstream prevention strategies aimed at preventing mental health crises by intervening early, we hope to be able to combat the increased rates of both youth self-harm and suicide. By applying strategies that create safety networks and empower young people to be proactive about their mental health and support others, we believe we can help teens before they are in distress.”
This module is included in EVERFI’s Understanding Mental Wellness curriculum for high school students and is supported by EVERFI strategic partners: HCA Healthcare, Healthy Blue, Johnson County, Mental Health Center and the NFL.
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