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In a nationwide survey, high school students reported experiencing poor mental health and life disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC researchers said.

Among a nationally representative sample of high school students in the U.S., 37% said that they experienced poor mental health, and 44% reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, reported Sherry Everett Jones, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues.

Furthermore, about 20% of respondents said they seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9% had attempted suicide during the 12 months before the survey, they noted in the (MMWR).

"Our data make it clear that young people experienced significant disruptions during the pandemic, and are experiencing a mental health crisis," said co-author Kathleen Ethier, PhD, of the CDC, during a conference call with the media. "It is clear right now that young people need all the support we can give them."

Though the prevalence of poor mental health was high across students of both sexes, and all racial/ethnic groups and sexual identities, kids who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual reported higher levels of poor mental health and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In addition, girls were more likely to have seriously considered suicide and attempted suicide.

Of note, poor mental health, persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors were less prevalent among students who felt close to people at school and were connected with others during the pandemic, the authors noted.

"Our data speak powerfully to the impact of schools in mitigating the impact of the pandemic," Ethier said.

In a , Kathleen Krause, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues noted that 55% of survey respondents said that they experienced emotional abuse at home, while 11% said that they experienced physical abuse. Nearly 30% said that a parent or other adult in their home lost a job due to the pandemic.

The prevalence of emotional and physical abuse by a parent or other adult in the home was highest among those who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and those who identified as "other or questioning" compared with those who identified as heterosexual.

Data for both reports were collected from January to June 2021 via the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), an online survey of a nationally representative sample of public- and private-school students in grades 9 to 12. The survey was funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Ethier noted that the ABES survey did not distinguish between students who attended school virtually or in-person during the pandemic. Regardless of how schools individually address the pandemic, there are "important strategies that schools can use to address mental health going forward," she added.

Youth are experiencing a variety of disruptions, including abuse in the home, and "we now need solutions to address those problems," Ethier said. "Some of those solutions can absolutely be undertaken in schools. But this is going to take all of us."

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