More than one-third of middle and high school students surveyed in Tompkins County said they feel depressed or sad on most days and that “sometimes I think life is not worth it.” Large numbers of Tompkins youth also feel that they are a “failure” and “no good at all.”

Despite the concerning numbers, they actually represented a significant improvement over the past two years across grade levels, genders, races, and ethnicities.

The Community-Level Youth Development Evaluation (CLYDE) surveyed 3,496 students in grades 7-12 in Tompkins County’s six school districts in October 2023 on behavior issues including mental health, bullying, and alcohol, drug, marijuana, tobacco, and vaping use.

The survey was organized by the Community Coalition for Healthy Youth, which represents agencies, schools, government, businesses, families, and concerned citizens in Tompkins County. Detailed results can be viewed on the Youth Development Dashboard for Tompkins County, which was updated in January to reflect the 2023 Clyde survey results. The results are reported for the first time by The Sophie Fund.

“This anonymous survey allows students to speak freely about their experiences with substance use, mental health, family life and school climate without the fear of judgment or punishment,” said Brandi Remington, Coordinator of Substance Abuse Prevention & Intervention at TST BOCES.

“The results of the CLYDE survey allow us to learn details about the lives of our young people that they may not share otherwise and then use that data to create meaningful strategies to improve their wellness.” 

Remington explained that the 2021 CLYDE survey was taken just as students were returning to the classroom after months of remote learning and uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Students’ mental health was suffering after dealing with a long period of isolation where they were not able to connect with friends and caring adults outside their homes or participate in classroom conversations and their favorite activities, she said.

“We were excited to see in 2023 that students’ mental health indicators returned to levels similar to those in 2018, before the pandemic. This is great news, but there is still a great deal of work to be done before we can say that all of our students are feeling safe, confident, and ready to take on anything that comes their way.”

In responding to the question, “In the past year, have you felt depressed or sad MOST days, even if you felt okay sometimes?,” 35.2 percent of the CLYDE survey respondents answered “Yes.” The highest percentage responding “Yes” to the question—40.3 percent—was among 12^th graders.

According to the survey, 33.7 percent of Tompkins 7-12 students said that “sometimes I think that life is not worth it,” 44.1 percent agreed with the statement that “at times I think I am no good at all,” and 29 percent said they “are inclined to think that I am a failure.”

As with the previous CLYDE survey in 2021, there were sharp variances by gender, race, and ethnicity.

A notable trend in the mental health survey results was that students identifying as an “other gender identity”—such as transgender and nonbinary—and Black girls were almost twice as likely as their peers to report depression and hopelessness.

According to the survey, 61.5 percent of those identifying as “other gender identity,” 61.1 percent of Black girls, 48.7 percent of all Black youth, 43.6 percent of all girls, and 42.1 percent of all Hispanic youth, signaled depression or sadness; compared to 23.8 percent of all boys.

The survey showed that 59.7 percent of all other gender identities, 55.2 percent of Black girls, 42.2 percent of all girls, 41.7 percent of all Black youth, and 38.7 percent of all Hispanic youth had felt life was not worth it; compared to 22.6 percent of all boys.

Similarly, 72.8 percent of all other gender identities, 55.6 percent of Black girls, 53.2 percent of all girls, 45.3 percent of all Black youth, and 47.9 percent of all Hispanic youth felt they were not good at all; compared to 31.9 percent of all boys.

Overall, higher percentages of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students compared to 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th graders experienced feelings of depression and hopelessness. For example, 40.3 percent of seniors reported feeling depressed or sad most days, and 36.3 percent that life was not worth it; compared to 32.4 percent and 28 percent, respectively, for 7th graders.

In a positive trend, the 2023 survey results signaled a notable decrease in the mental health measures since the 2021 CLYDE survey.

For example, the percentage of students reporting depression or sadness dropped from 41.4 percent in 2021 to 35.2 percent in 2023. The percentage of students feeling life was not worth it went from 38.5 percent in 2021 to 33.7 percent in 2023.

Still, the rates represented an increase over levels in a Tompkins survey a decade ago. In 2012, the percentage of surveyed students reporting depression or sadness was 28.7 percent; 21.3 percent of students felt life was not worth it.

About a quarter of students reported being bullied, with the greatest prevalence occurring in middle school grades. Overall, 27.4 percent of students said they were bullied at school; 20.5 percent bullied outside school; and 20 percent bullied electronically. The results indicated that 13.1 percent of students engaged in bullying.

Whereas the percentages of seniors reporting being bullied in the three categories were 15.6 percent, 12.8 percent, and 13.8 percent, respectively, the extent of bullying was much higher for 7^th and 8^th graders. The survey results said that 34.7 percent, 24.5 percent, and 23.8 percent of 7^th graders reported bulling at school, outside school, and electronically, respectively.

The results showed a marked increase in bullying behavior since the previous CLYDE survey two years earlier, when 21.2 percent, 18.6 percent, and 20.8 percent of students said they were bullied at school, outside school, and electronically, respectively.

The CLYDE survey recorded other behavior traits such as prevalence of alcohol and drug use. It found that 29.3 percent of 7-12 grade students had consumed alcoholic beverages, with the figure rising to 48.8 percent among 12th graders. The survey results said that 12.1 percent of students reported consuming alcohol in the previous 30 days; 21.7 percent of 12^th graders reported usage during this period.

Just 13.5 percent of respondents said they had used marijuana, although the figure was more double that at 33.6 percent for high school seniors.

The survey said that 6.8 percent reported use of opiate pain relievers without a doctor’s orders. There was virtually no reporting of heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine use, but 2.9 percent of respondents reported use of hallucinogens; the figure was again higher for high school seniors, at 7.2 percent.

The survey showed that 8 percent of students had smoked a cigarette, but only 3.2 percent had done so in the past 30 days. Seniors’ lifetime use was 16.2 percent, with 7 percent saying they had smoked in the past month.

The figures were higher for vaping. Overall, 12.2 percent of students said they had smoked nicotine e-cigarettes, including 6.4 percent in the past 30 days. For 12th graders, it was 21.8 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively. The survey found that 10.3 percent of students had vaped using marijuana, 5.4 percent in the past month. For seniors, it was 25 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively.

The survey identified youth risk factors, including low commitment to school, family conflict, favorable attitudes toward antisocial behavior, and favorable parental attitudes toward drug use. Protective factors included social skills, opportunities and rewards for prosocial involvement, family attachment, and belief in the moral order.

Looking for help? DOWNLOAD the 2024 Mental Health Support and Crisis Services guide for Tompkins County

According to survey developer Catalyst Insight, LLC, its surveys collect current data on youth substance use prevalence, developmental risk and protective factors, and other key community characteristics. It says that the results are intended to be used for community assessment, coalition and community capacity building, program planning, and evaluation purposes. The data gathered through CLYDE can be leveraged to change norms and practices that will improve overall community health over time, it says.

The CLYDE mental health findings tracked with the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2013-2023 issued on August 6, 2024 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the CDC survey of students in grades 9-12, 40 percent of American high schoolers reported “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” in the previous 12 months, a drop of two percentage points from the 2021 YRBS survey.

The CLYDE survey did not include questions about sexual violence or suicide. The CDC survey found declines in sexual assault against teen girls and in suicidal behaviors among girls.

The survey found that in 2023, 13 percent of girls reported being forced to have sexual intercourse, compared to 14 percent in 2021.

Twenty-seven percent of girls “seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year” a decline from 30 percent in 2021; for boys, the figure remained at 14 percent.

“As caring adults, whether we are teachers, parents, guardians or mentors, it is essential that we listen to our kids,” Remington said. “We need to understand their experiences, the perspectives, and how they feel about the world around them. At times we can do this with meaningful, in-depth conversations in the car or the classroom, but sometimes we can’t. Sometimes, students feel the need to protect their private lives from adults because they fear judgement or punishment. This is why the CLYDE survey is such a valuable asset in our community.”

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.