Emerson Hospital has released the results of its Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered last spring to students in grades 6, 8, and 9 through 12 in eight Metrowest school districts. The school districts, including Harvard, received the results in October, according to Leah Lesser, Emerson’s public relations manager.
A press release on the survey’s results for all eight districts shows a slight increase in thoughts of suicide among high school students in the area, with 13 percent reporting that they had seriously considered suicide, up from 12 percent in previous surveys since 2008. (The survey has been given every two years.)
Among high school seniors last spring, 50 percent reported that they texted or surfed the internet while driving, despite the fact that doing so has been against the law since 2010 and is subject to a fine as high as $500. (According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Harvard had issued 33 tickets for texting while driving by April of this year, a figure that was comparable with other towns in the area such as Acton, Bolton, and Boxborough.)
Nearly two-thirds of high school students report high or very high levels of stress because of their academic workload. Girls are much more likely to report high academic stress (73 percent) than boys (52 percent). Academic stress levels have also risen among sixth-graders over the past two years, with 30 percent reporting high stress in 2016, compared to 24 percent in 2014.
The survey also reported some positive data. “High school students are using alcohol less often and are gambling less,” the press release stated. The percentage of students obtaining illegal drugs on school property dropped, too.
