Beating the odds: Students at Detroit public schools are less depressed, anxious

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report

The share of 8th-12th grade students reporting depression and anxiety symptoms fell below pre-pandemic levels in 2022-23 in the Detroit Public School Community District-which is the opposite of national trends.

The most substantial improvements were among Asian and Black students, according to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report, analyzed by the University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab.

"Not only are rates of depression and anxiety lower than pre-pandemic levels, but they are substantially below national averages," said YPL faculty co-director Robin Jacob. "Overall rates of persistent sadness on the YRBS survey were 40% in 2023. Our data shows that on a similar measure, only 23% of DPSCD students exhibited symptoms of depression in the 2022-2023 school year."

The latest YRBS findings show that rates of persistent sadness in 2023 were higher than pre-pandemic levels, while in Detroit public schools, rates were lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The new DPSCD report analyzes wellness trends over time by utilizing a Universal Wellness Screen developed by TRAILS-Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students-to monitor and support student wellness. It examines student differences based on grade, school type, race and ethnicity, gender identity, geographic region, homeless status, special education status and Limited English Proficiency status.

The report also found that about half of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders felt sad, mad, scared or worried at least some of the time in the two weeks before the survey, with female students reporting higher levels of these emotions.

Additionally, over half of these students experienced the death of a loved one in the previous eight months, and a third reported that they or a close family member had an overnight hospital stay. Traumatic events were most prevalent among students experiencing homelessness, Black students and those living in east Detroit.

For students in grades 6 through 12, 24% reported symptoms of depression and 23% reported symptoms of anxiety, with about half experiencing a traumatic event. Depression and anxiety were most common among female students, students experiencing homelessness and students receiving special education services. Female students, in particular, reported higher levels of these symptoms.

"I was thrilled to see that the rates of depression were so much lower than the national average," Jacob said. "DPSCD is committed to the well-being of their students, and it has really made a difference. Using a yearly wellness screener, like the one analyzed in this report, is just one of the many steps DPSCD has taken to help them identify student needs and support their well-being."

Despite the positive steps, work still needs to be done, according to Jacob, and the district is committed to continuing to explore ways to support their students.

"We are currently partnering with TRAILS on a randomized trial to examine the efficacy of the TRAILS Early Intervention program on the mental health and academic performance of students in Detroit Public Schools Community District," Jacob said.

The program promotes the utilization of cognitive behavioral therapy by providing school mental health professionals with curriculum resources, training and post-training implementation support to sustain uptake and use of best practices in working with students.

"Obviously, the district's work is most focused on improving student achievement," said Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. "However, through the district's ongoing improvement and reform we have recognized that we cannot improve or accelerate student achievement without addressing the whole child more effectively and consistently during the school day.

"This has occurred by increasing funding and improving the staffing of counselors in all schools, creating climates and cultures at each school where students feel more loved, challenged and prepared every day, and implementing our child-at-risk survey with students from grades 3-12 to identify and provide students with one on one and small group therapy.

"All of these strategies and more are not only improving the well-being of our students but also leading to the improvement of high school student achievement as defined through improved graduation rates and (test) results. We still have work to do but this is yet another data point that proves that the district is improving in many different areas across the board, and especially across the nation when looking at post-pandemic status of students academically and emotionally."