WESTBOROUGH – The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt among local adolescents.
During the School Committee meeting on Nov. 9, Director of Wellness Roger Anderson and SEL and Clinical Coordinator Kim Tynan presented the results of the 2021 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey.
As in previous surveys, this latest survey was voluntary and private, meaning parents were given the option to opt out their children.
In total, 555 seventh and eighth graders responded, and 1,044 Westborough High School students in ninth to 12th grade participated.
The good news — the use of drugs and alcohol has decreased since the last survey in 2018. There was a sharp decrease in vaping among students in grades 7-12.
“We feel really good about that,” said Anderson.
Among middle school students, the number of students vaping at some point in their lifetime went from 4.4% in 2018 to 3.8% in 2021. Further, students who said they currently vaped decreased from 3.2% in 2018 to 1.6% in 2021.
For high school students, the percentage of lifetime vaping use dipped from 32.1% in 2018 to 16.8% in 2021. Those who vaped over the past 30 days also decreased from 23.6% in 2018 to 10.2% in 2021.
Anderson credited the drop to education efforts to have students realize that vaping is harmful.
However, the survey did indicate increases in some categories, such as cyberbullying and depression.
Among middle school students, 20.8% reported being a victim of cyberbullying in 2021, compared to 13% in 2018. On whether life has been “very stressful” in the previous 30 days, 18.4% of students said “yes” in 2021, compared to 13.7% in 2018.
At the high school level, 21.7% of students reported being a victim of cyberbullying in 2021, as opposed to 19% in 2018. On whether life has been “very stressful” in the previous 30 days, there was a decrease — 29.8% said yes in 2021, compared to 33.8% in 2018.
However, more high school students said they were experiencing symptoms of depression in 2021 at 25.1% than in 2018 at 19.9%.
Both Anderson and Tynan attributed the increase to the effects of the pandemic, especially the feelings of loneliness and isolation.
These feelings seem to be more prevalent among students who are LGBTQ+, Latina/ Latino or girls, said Anderson.
Both Anderson and Tynan said that programs are available for those seeking help.
“I am very proud of the comprehensive mental health work that we have developed in Westborough,” said Superintendent Amber Bock. “We have K-12 programming, tiered models of support, a relationship-centered focus in our schools, and a thoughtful use of data to check for blindspots and ensure we are not missing students who may need support.”
The full results of the 2021 survey are available at www.westboroughk12.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=32302986.
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