Kids in Oregon, nationwide 'definitely are more stressed,' new report shows

During the coronavirus pandemic, Salem Health pediatrician Jennifer Norman-Pitzer, M.D., was concerned about the worsening mental health of her young patients.

"The amount of anxiety and depression I have been seeing during the pandemic has increased significantly,” she said.

Prior to COVID-19, many children already were experiencing concerning levels of anxiety and depression, suicidality, food insecurity, and social and household stress. The pandemic created new challenges when children were forced to upend their routines and attend school virtually, all while not being able to engage in their normal extracurricularand social activities.

A new nationwide report, released Monday, shows overall child well-being has improved within the past decade, but the coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on these positive trends. Oregon data showed a similar outcome.

The KIDS COUNT Data Book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a yearly report that shows national and state trends in child well-being. Data is collected and aggregated from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Survey of Children’s Health, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, and with the help of the Population Reference Bureau and the KIDS COUNT Network, which represents every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The coronavirus upended everyday life to an extent not seen since World War II,” Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, wrote in the 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book.

KIDS COUNT recommends policymakers prioritize meeting children’s basic needs of nutritious food, stable housing, safe neighborhoods and financial stability to address ongoing mental health concerns.

Where Oregon youth well-being ranks

In this year’s report, Oregon ranked 26 out of 50 states for overall child well-being.

This ranking is determined by looking at four indicators that impact mental health. Oregon ranked in the upper 25 in the health and family and community indicators; it ranked much lower in economic well-being and education.

In education, Oregon ranked 41st in the nation.

Education data, including graduation rates and reading and math proficiency, was not collected on its normal year-by-year basis because of pandemic challenges. Instead, five-year estimates were made using data collected prior to 2020. Oregon still dropped from its previous ranking of 40th.

There are a lot of systemic reasons Oregon’s children have not been able to access the educational resources they need to thrive, said Jenifer Wagley, CEO and executive director of Our Children Oregon, a nonprofit organization in the KIDS COUNT Network that works to communicate systemic problems to policymakers and propose solutions. They include lack of funding for educational tools and not having a quality at-home learning environment.

Norman-Pitzer, the Salem Health pediatrician, said many parents and children had concerns about school during the pandemic.

“Kids whose parents weren’t able to work remotely during lockdown did not get enough help during the school day and fell further behind,” said Norman-Pitzer.

One education-oriented solution proposed in the organization's 2022 Children's Agenda is funding early at-home education through Healthy Families Oregon.

“We haven’t as a state leaned in and made it possible for all of our children to have those resources,” Wagley said.

Increased economic concerns

In the KIDS COUNT study, Oregon ranked 30th in the economic portion.

The pandemic induced financial stress on many families. Children whose parents or guardians lost their jobs or weren’t able to work due to being at high-risk of more serious symptoms experienced increased financial hardships. These hardships placed new demands on children.

“Adolescents were often called on to help meet family needs in ways that they weren’t prior to the pandemic,” Melissa Witkow, a psychology professor at Willamette University, said.

Some youth had to help provide for their family. Others had to care for siblings who were no longer attending school and could not be placed in childcare due to lack of availability or health concerns.

“These extra obligations often meant that when adolescents were attending school remotely, they were also attending to other demands at the same time,” said Witkow, whose research is in developmental psychology and adolescent development.

In Oregon, rural counties have the highest poverty rates. When experiencing poverty, children are two to three times more likely to develop mental health conditions, according to a 2013 study. Our Children Oregon believes that reducing child poverty is essential.

“Poverty is a policy choice,” Wagley said.

Finding solutions for youth mental health

Dr. Warren Griffin, a Salem Pediatric Clinic pediatrician, said his patients have experienced worsening mental health in the past few years.

“Kids and parents were definitely more stressed,” he said.

There is increased awareness by parents of the need for mental health counseling, according to the new report.

In early 2022, 73% of parents agreed their child would benefit from mental health counseling. That number was 68% in 2021, according to the KIDS COUNT Data Book.

KIDS COUNT recommended prioritizing mental health in healthcare and in schools by making sure all children have health insurance and have access to mental health care, whether through their pediatrician, a therapist, or a school counselor.

In Oregon, the ratio of school counselors in schools is 374 students to one counselor, Wagley said. The American School Counselor Association says schools should try to maintain a 250-to-1 ratio of students to counselors.

Norman-Pitzer said pediatricians should play a huge role in youth mental health. She talks about mental health with her patients at each visit, she said.

“If they’re having trouble getting counseling, a lot of that does fall on general pediatricians,” she said.

She said she will bring patients with mental health concerns in more often. All kids 12 and older getting care through Salem Health do an anxiety and depression screening. Norman-Pitzer also talks to them alone about how they're feeling in anattempt to create a safe space where they can be honest about what they may be struggling with.

“I just try to normalize it. I tell them, 'There’s nothing wrong with you,'" she said. "It’s just like if you have asthma or something. Mental health is health."

Addressing disparities

In addition to KIDS COUNT's general recommendations to improve youth mental health, it also made a point to assure all kids are getting assistance, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.

Many BIPOC and LGBTQ families and youth experience disparities in health care and education.

“If you aggregate health indicators by race, the numbers tell a different story,” Wagley said. “Do we celebrate success when it is not true for everybody?"

From 2016-2020, 32% of Black and 25% of Latino children were in poverty, compared to 11% of white, non-Latino children, according to national KIDS COUNT data.

Oregon state data, provided by Our Children Oregon, indicated that children of color have lower levels of reading and math proficiency.

Action to reduce the burden of the “mental health pandemic” on children cannot be taken without considering how it is affecting all children, Wagley said.

Children with disabilities also faced disparities during the pandemic.

“We saw a tremendous increase in anxiety and stress levels in children with disabilities and their families,” said Cheryl Cisneros, founder and executive director of Creating Opportunities, a Salem nonprofit that supports families and children with disabilities.

During the pandemic, a lot of parents reported regression in their child’s social and coping skills, she said.

Cisneros emphasized the importance of community for these children and families.

“Make sure they’re connected and staying connected with their community,” she said.

Our Children Oregon believes community involvement is essential to tackling the mental health crisis in youth. Raising awareness, getting families and children involved, and investing in the community are essential, Wagley said.

She said the goal is to ensure all Oregon children can thrive.

“If they’re not thriving, we’re not thriving,” she said.

Sydney Wyatt covers healthcare inequities in the Mid-Willamette Valley for the Statesman Journal. You can contact her at SWyatt@gannett.com, by phone (503) 399-6613, or on Twitter @sydney_elise44

The Statesman Journal’s coverage of healthcare inequities is funded in part by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, which seeks to strengthen the cultural, social, educational, and spiritual base of the Pacific Northwest through capacity-building investments in the nonprofit sector.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Kids in Oregon, nationwide 'more stressed,' new report shows