Connecting The Dots is a report that examines mental health data and academic performance data and discusses how these topics influence each other.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Belmont Data Collaborative has released a new report examining the interaction between youth mental health and academic achievement. Among them, the co-researchers found that Hancock County leads the state in youth mental health vulnerabilities.
The county is one of the poorest in Tennessee and was previously designated as a “distressed” county by a federal commission in June 2023, with a poverty rate of more than 29% and a per capita His income is about $18,100 a year.
According to the report, Grainger County was the 10th most likely county for mental health problems. Campbell County was her 12th most vulnerable, Union County was her 14th most vulnerable and Morgan County was her 15th most vulnerable.
“We believe that data can be the catalyst for this kind of change in perspective. Through this report, we will help people of all kinds in Tennessee understand how their communities are structured, from what is built.” “We want to connect the dots about how we will become.”The allocation of environments, resources, and funds to patterns of behavior and interactions between people and systems fundamentally conditions the ability of humans to thrive. says the co-investigator’s report.
It’s called “Connecting the Dots: Mental Health and Student Success in Tennessee.” Approximately one in four Tennessee youths has been diagnosed with a mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety, the coalition said in a release. The data revealed that Gen Z participants were the most likely to report poor mental health of any other generation, and the least likely to report good mental health.
The report also found that students with “excellent” mental health are more than twice as likely to say they are doing well in school than those with “fair or poor” mental health. Said it was expensive. They are also less likely to have missed school in the past month.
The report also found that adult encouragement can influence mental outlook, finding that Gen Z participants who had supportive adults and mentors in their lives were more likely to believe they had a good future. He said there was a positive trend among Gen Z participants who said they felt the same way.
“One of the positive impacts that schools can provide is adult relationships,” the report states. “Academically, decades of research have confirmed that teacher quality is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement.”
The report also discussed the impact of community-based stressors on adolescents’ mental health and school performance. A county’s income insecurity rate and the quality of its infrastructure can help determine whether a student will succeed in school, the report said. The report also analyzed the county’s exposure to pollution and the percentage of residents without cars or health insurance as indicators of whether the county is vulnerable to mental health problems.
The report encouraged more detailed analysis of mental health data and concluded by stressing that “there is no magic cure for mental illness.” We also encourage the community to discuss mental health and the impact of mental health in schools.
“For young people, families, schools and decision-makers, talking about mental illness can help improve understanding, reduce stigma, combat isolation, identify and lower barriers to resources, and help improve mental health.” “This is the best first step to take,” the report said.
