Mental health for U.S. children has declined before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic — a substantial break in a trend that has long shown this age group generally reports feelings of happiness and well-being, according to a report in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Children under 18 years reported a slow, steady climb in anxiety and depression from 2016 to 2022. In contrast, incidents of physical health problems, such as asthma, severe headache or migraine, and heart conditions declined or remained the same. The study was based on publicly available data from the National Survey of Children’s Health that were analyzed by researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
“Our findings underscore the critical need to prioritize youth mental health, which continued to worsen even as we emerged from the pandemic,” Marie Hefferman, a researcher at Northwestern University’s medical school and an author of the paper, said in a press release. “Parents and schools need more support to be better equipped to help children suffering from anxiety or depression,” she said.
Youth Happiness in Decline
The percentage of U.S. children with anxiety jumped from 7.1 percent in 2016 to 10.6 percent in 2022 (the most recent year for which data was available), while depression increased from 3.2 percent to 4.6 percent in the same period. ADD/ADHD increased slightly, but did not meet a statistically significant threshold. Problems with behavior or conduct remained about the same.
The data revealed the opposite trajectory for some physical health issues. Asthma declined from 8.4 percent to 6.5 percent, and severe headaches or migraines went down from 3.5 percent to 2.6 percent. The percentage of children with heart conditions did not change over the study period.
Read More: Struggling With Mental Health? Things Might Be Better in the Morning
U-Shaped Curve for Happiness
Although this is just one study, it echoes concerns from other recent research that shows the so-called “U-shaped curve” for happiness is collapsing. That curve has long shown younger people with high happiness levels, which decline into middle age. Life satisfaction starts climbing again as people head into their retirement years.
For a long time, the “U” might as well have stood for universal. It’s been replicated in over 600 studies, ranging from wealthy to developing nations; English- and non-English-speaking countries; in places with both high and low incomes and life expectancies.
This trend has taken a worrisome turn. Researchers who have long monitored happiness have seen the curve transform into a steady downward line, starting in the mid 2010s. Measures of declining mental health have been showing up globally since then, including in all five Anglo nations and throughout Europe, according to a report.
“The long-studied midlife crisis has now been replaced with a mental health crisis of the young… globally,” the report concluded.
Read More: How Ultra-Processed Foods Can Affect Your Mental Health
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
JAMA Pediatrics. Trends in Mental and Physical Health Among Youths
Global Interdependence Center. The Global Loss of the U-Shaped Curve of Happiness
Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
