Both parents and educators play key roles in addressing adolescent mental health needs, but teenagers are approaching the latter with such concerns more often, new survey data show.
The analysis, conducted by CVS Health and Morning Consult, found that 78% of educators had been approached by a child about mental health concerns, compared to 58% of parents. The survey was conducted in mid-August and polled 500 parents and 340 educators of youths aged 13 to 17.
Educators were also more concerned about teen mental health, according to the survey, with 76% of those surveyed saying it is a concern. By comparison, 43% of parents said the same.
However, nearly half (49%) of parents said they initiate conversations with adolescents about their mental health, compared to 22% of educators. Most parents and educators (94%) said they feel they can find necessary support for a teenager struggling with mental health needs, according to the survey.
"Young people continue to face a mental health crisis, but they are not facing it alone. Most are turning to the adults in their lives for help both at home and at school," said CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch said in a release.
"To increase our attention on adolescents' mental health, we have launched new programs to reach them and their families directly, and resources to help parents and caregivers better understand mental distress and available support," Lynch added. "Mental health can, and should, become a part of everyday conversation in the classroom, during lunch hour and at the dinner table."
In most cases, both parents and educators said that should a mental health concern surface, they would speak to the child directly, reach out to one another or reach out to a mental health professional.
The survey also found that educators and parents identify different factors that are having a negative impact on teens' mental health. Most educators (94%) cited family dynamics and relationships, 91% named self-esteem, 85% said bullying and social dynamics and 83% cited social media as the key factors harming adolescent mental health.
Parents, meanwhile, cited academic pressures (54%), self-esteem (51%), pandemic-related stress (48%) and bullying or social dynamics (43%) as having a negative impact on their kids' mental health.
In addition, a majority of educators (72%) named issues stemming from gender, race and sexuality as a key factor, compared to just a quarter of parents. Many educators (63%) and parents (54%) agree that making mental health care more affordable is a key resource for adolescents.
"Parents and educators create a critical, complementary team that supports adolescents through the impacts of academic and family pressures, self-esteem concerns, COVID-19 and more," Cara McNulty, president of behavioral health and mental well-being at CVS Health, said in the release. "By helping adolescents, we can prevent mental health issues and the risk of suicide from arising or becoming worse and set healthy well-being habits in this generation for years to come."