Study tracks trends in adolescent health risks over two decades
Between 1999-2021, American adolescents steadily desisted from risky behaviors such as substance use and violence, and from reporting a combination of both risky behaviors and mental health symptoms. Yet a comparatively small but growing proportion of youth demonstrated elevated symptoms of depression, according to a report鈥攚hose lead author is Boston College faculty member Rebekah Levine Coley鈥攖o be published in the April 2025 issue of Pediatrics.
The study, published online earlier this month, and titled 鈥淭rends in Mental and Behavioral Health Risks in Adolescents: 1999-2021,鈥� analyzed data from the national biennial Youth Risk Behavior Surveys distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 178,658 students in grades 9-12 nationwide were analyzed across the entire research timeline. Results revealed that most adolescents鈥攁nd increasing proportions over cohorts鈥攃eased risky behavior such as substance use, unsafe sexual activities, and violence, and did not display signs of mental health problems such as depression.
However, a small group of adolescents鈥攔epresenting less than nine percent of those surveyed鈥攔eported heightened mental health concerns such as increased symptoms of hopelessness and suicidality, and an even smaller proportion reported both heightened risky behavior and mental health problems, necessitating additional public health measures to intervene and promote enhanced well-being.
Rebekah Levine Coley (Lee Pellegrini)
鈥淧erhaps the most important finding from this work highlights the dominant and increasing prevalence of adolescents with low levels of internalizing behaviors who are also abstaining from multiple types of behavioral health risks,鈥� said Coley, professor and Gabelli Family Faculty Fellow in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and director of BC鈥檚 Center for Child and Family Policy. 鈥淪imultaneously, the relatively modest but increasing number of youths reporting elevated indications of depression points to target populations for prevention and treatment efforts, which is critical information for policymakers and health practitioners seeking to optimize the well-being of United States adolescents.鈥�
She also underscored that, while rates of depressive symptoms and suicidality in American adolescents and young adults have been rising since 2009, the corrosive, exacerbating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic鈥攁s schools and businesses closed, social isolation surged, and financial and social stressors increased鈥攁ppears to be lessening.
鈥淩ecent evidence has emerged from surveys conducted in 2023 suggesting that the increased strengthening of depression and suicidal behaviors during the pandemic has finally turned,鈥� she said.
Coley noted that overall, these are positive and encouraging shifts, but there are still some areas of concern for U.S. adolescents, including increasing gun carriage and gun-related crimes by youth.
Co-leading the research with Coley was Jane Leer, an assistant professor of psychology at San Diego State University, and Lynch School doctoral candidate Lindsay Lanteri. The report is available via a title search at the American Academy of Pediatrics .
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