A research letter published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics shows that adolescent suicide rates increased in the first year of the pandemic, according to research in 14 states. Researchers from Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston Children’s hospital sifted through death certificates of 85,000 people that died by suicide in 14 states and
Injuries are the most common cause of death among children and adolescents, and for more than 60 years, motor vehicle crashes were the top cause of the injury-related deaths for children. However, beginning in 2017, gun-related deaths took the top spot on the list. “That spike is attributable to the simultaneous crackdown on motor vehicle
A new Child Trends brief describes the harm inflicted upon gender-diverse children and youth when policies deny them access to gender-affirming care and supportive environments. Gender-affirming care provides developmentally appropriate supports to gender-diverse children and youth. When transgender children and youth feel that their identities are supported, they experience greater life satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms,
The overdose death rate among U.S. adolescents nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 — a climb that continued into 2021, a new study in JAMA shows. Researchers determined that it’s not a surge of 14- to 18-year-olds using drugs - survey data actually indicate that fewer teens experimented with drugs during the pandemic. Rather, a
On April 14, 2022, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a paper from Bradley Hardy of the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy explaining the importance of the Child Tax Credit as a critical economic assistance program. From the report: “An expanded, monthly, and fully refundable Child Tax Credit would yield long-term reductions
Brookings published the second wave of its comprehensive, multi-issue study of the effects of the CTC, finding that families used the CTC to cover routine expenses without reducing their employment. Families had better nutrition and were less likely to rely on alternative financial support like payday loans and selling blood plasma to pay bills.
Mathematica is conducting focus groups to explore sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection for youth in foster care and foster/adoptive parents. The study is being conducted on behalf of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and in cooperation with the Children’s Bureau. They are seeking focus group participants
In their recent publication, Resilient But Not Recovered: After Two Years of the COVID-19 Crisis, Women Are Still Struggling, National Women’s Law Center combines analysis of federal data sources with findings from a research to better understand how women are faring at work and in their lives after weathering two years of this pandemic. As reported
In a new report released by the CDC, school closures and distance learning have had a negative impact on student mental health. In a study titled “Mental Health, Suicidality and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” survey results showed that more than a third (37%) of students surveyed said they experienced poor
The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University has released its newest monthly report on child poverty, finding that 3.4 million more children were in poverty in February 2022 than in December 2021, when families were still receiving the monthly Child Tax Credit payments. Monthly poverty remained elevated in February. Child poverty rates