Teens of the Pandemic: A Mental Health Crisis
August 15, 2022 | Collin Hall, SRAS
It did not take long for many to realize that there would be major implications following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in March of 2020.
Schools shut down, virtual learning was erected, social media flourished, cultural fads came in and out of style speedier than ever before, and according to the CDC, poor mental health of teens also made its way to pandemic levels. It did not take a CDC study to show us this reality though-- it was self-evident from the start. The impacts of the lockdowns, cultural shifts, and the reforming of the education systems are continuously making an impact on our youth with no end in sight; however, implementing some of the fundamental teachings of SRA (Sexual Risk Avoidance) could be influential in turning the tide of our youth’s mental health.
With a rise in poor mental health amongst teens we can expect that there will be many battles to face along with it.
An important part of what we strive to do at Live Free is to instill confidence and a focus of positive self-esteem into students. Our levels of self-respect and esteem can greatly affect our decisions in life, and that truth is even more prevalent in the younger generations. There are clear correlations to self-esteem and decision making. We teach that being in degrading relationships or engaging in certain behaviors that are absent of self-respect and esteem should be avoided. Many studies and experts point to low self-esteem playing a large roll in teens participating in at-risk sexual activity.
"Low self-esteem in children is a sure way to push them toward engaging in risky and reckless sexual behavior as teens. They wish to be popular and the inability to make wise decisions about the consequences of one's actions is at the core of the problem,” explains licensed psychologist Patricia A. Farrell, PhD.
Anxiety and depression being at the forefront of the mental health crisis in teens could lead to risky behaviors that could in turn produce damaging results physically, emotionally, and mentally. We desire to point students in a direction of avoiding these risks entirely while leading them to a safe, successful, and healthy future. We believe that practicing abstinence can lead to a stronger mentality in decision making.
"Kids are impressionable and if they see that popularity in a group is related to risky sex, those with low self-esteem, especially the girls, will gravitate toward it," Farrell suggests. Some of this may be attributed to the fact that girls tend to have lower self-esteem than boys and are more likely to hold negative views of both their physical and intellectual characteristics.
“In the face of adversity, support from schools, families, and communities protects adolescents from potentially devastating consequences,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC’s lead Center for monitoring and addressing school-based health. “These data tell us what works. So, what will it take for our schools and communities to help youth withstand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond?”
We believe that continuously advocating for abstinence through an SRA approach can lead to encouraging students, raising self-awareness, strengthening self-esteem, establishing self-respect, and promoting growth in their decision making for a better future when it comes to at-risk behaviors. Although students may face the ripple effects of COVID-19 for years to come, we can still hope to instill in them values to fight against the battles they may face.
If you’d like to read more on how mental health can affect teens sexual behavior click the links below: