This year’s AIM Ideas Lab Youth Survey was created by Monterey teens and sent to their peers to analyze their mental health challenges. Academic stress, lack of sleep, lack of motivation, overwhelming schoolwork, and beauty standards/body image were found to be the top stressors for teens in the county. (Graph provided by AIM Ideas Lab)
Monterey County high school students helped develop and administer a survey about the issues that most impact their peers’ mental health. The AIM Ideas Lab youth survey showed academic stress to be the biggest negative impact, with nearly 50% of students reporting experiencing depression.
Founded in 2020, AIM is a Monterey County-based research and solutions-based organization that aims to implement “evidence-based treatments” to combat youth mental health issues, according to its website.
The Ideas Lab is an opportunity for high school students to participate in a research project focused on uncovering mental health patterns among their peers. The program follows a youth-participatory action research design, where 28 students were empowered to develop research questions based on issues that directly affect them. Nine of the students are from Monterey Peninsula high schools and 19 attend schools in the Salinas Valley.
This type of research is “more efficient because it’s based on the means and interests of the target communities,” says program manager Mariana Jimenez. “They know better than I, as an adult, what they need.”
After brainstorming a list of questions they thought would be most relevant to them and their peers, the group created a sample survey, which Jimenez and five research mentors evaluated. Once the survey was complete, they sent it to their peers. Jimenez says the researchers are now using their findings to make recommendations to school districts, teachers and parents on how to create long-term solutions to address growing mental health concerns.
“The AIM IdeaLab gave me the opportunity to go out into my community and explore the mental health crisis in Monterey County and make my voice heard through advocacy,” said Yaretzi Guerrero Verduzco, a sophomore at Everett Alvarez High School and a participant in this year’s IdeaLab.
The 19-question survey was sent to Monterey County teens via social media, word of mouth and text message between Feb. 18 and 29, with 472 students responding.
According to the report, the biggest factors impacting the mental health of Monterey County teens are:
• Academic stress (68.4%)
• Lack of sleep (63.3%)
• Lack of motivation (62.4%)
• Overwhelming academic achievement (62.2%)
• Beauty standards/body image (62%)
The survey obtained information from students at Everett Alvarez, North Monterey County, Salinas, Stevenson, Carmel and North Salinas high schools. The majority of respondents were from Everett Alvarez (34%) and North Monterey County (34%).
The report found that the majority of students (63%) said they felt uncomfortable asking for help during a mental health crisis and were reluctant to seek school-based resources such as counselors.
Nearly 70% of respondents reported experiencing anxiety, and roughly half said they had experienced depression. Other prominent mental health issues included burnout (60%), low self-esteem (58%), and eating disorders (38%).
According to the report, these responses demonstrate “the urgent need for a supportive environment and open dialogue to effectively address these issues.”
These challenges, especially levels of stress and burnout, appear to correlate with factors that worsen mental health (e.g., academic stress, overwhelming schoolwork, and lack of sleep). The report recommends that schools, extracurricular activities, and wellness centers offer workshops to teach teens how to prioritize their emotional health and stress management techniques. Parents and staff also need to receive training to “educate and support all stakeholders in promoting teen well-being and mental health,” according to the report.
The Salinas Union High School District, where the majority of survey respondents attend, currently has wellness centers at each of its 13 locations. The centers are made up of three tiers: district-wide resources (e.g., anti-bullying curriculum, site counselor support), group support and interventions (e.g., anxiety support, attendance restoration, stress management), and district-wide individual support options such as crisis response and threat assessments.
Last year’s survey found that 74% of respondents knew a peer who suffered from depression. This year, that percentage dropped to 48.3%. Researchers say the drop can be attributed to increased availability of mental health resources and more open discussions about mental health.
The survey also revealed stark differences in how men and women feel about external and internal pressures, with men reporting higher levels of self-imposed expectations, lack of sleep and pressure from social media, while women were more likely to struggle to balance their studies, social lives and well-being.
The survey asked students whether they felt their school offered “effective and helpful mental health resources,” with 17% of students responding “strongly disagree” or “strongly disagree.”
About 31% of students said they neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement. According to the researchers, these results may indicate that “many students are unaware of what resources are available to them at school or whether they can contact an adult at school for mental health support.”
Through daily announcements, the Salinas Union is focused on “making sure students know about the services and that the wellness center exists,” according to district spokesman Marcos Cabrera.
“When they present these results and ask for what they need from the schools, I hope they will listen,” Jimenez said. “I think it’s time for the schools to listen.”
The full report can be found at https://aimymh.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Monterey-County-Ideas-Lab-Report-2024.pdf.
