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UCLA: Nearly half of California adolescents report mental health problems

by The AV Times Staff • January 27, 2021

LOS ANGELES – Mirroring a national trend, 45% of California youth between the ages of 12 and 17 report having recently struggled with mental health issues, with nearly a third of them experiencing serious psychological distress that could interfere with their academic and social functioning, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research reported Wednesday.

The research also highlights the elevated incidence of mental health distress among certain segments of the adolescent population — including poor, multiracial, gender-nonconforming and foreign-born young people — and recommends policies to address these inequities and boost access to mental health services.

“With almost half of California’s adolescents experiencing moderate to serious psychological distress, there is an urgent need to protect their psychological and emotional well-being by addressing the structural and social factors related to inequities in mental health,” said D. Imelda Padilla-Frausto, the study’s co-lead author and a research scientist at UCLA CHPR.

Using data from the center’s 2019 California Health Interview Survey, the study authors looked at social determinants of health — non-medical factors such as family income, insurance, race and ethnicity, and citizenship status — to determine which adolescents were most affected by mental health distress.

They also examined the impact of adolescents’ physical health and behavior in areas such as eating habits, physical activity, social media use and substance use, including drinking and smoking.

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Filed Under: Health, Home, Los Angeles County

3 comments for "UCLA: Nearly half of California adolescents report mental health problems"

  1. Loam says

    January 28, 2021 at 6:25 am

    And that’s only the portion that admit it. This is data from a 2019 survey, so what do they think the percentage is in 2021?

  2. Common Sense says

    January 27, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    We don’t need an expensive study to conclude that mental health problems among adolescents is a problem. With COVID-19 ONE can see it’s damaging effects.

  3. Mental Problems says

    January 27, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    This is just the beginning.

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