PRIDE Student Survey
What are Lorain County youth telling us about alcohol, drugs, and their physical and mental health?
Our youth face numerous challenges today, and many are struggling with social, emotional and behavioral issues that can negatively impact their ability to learn and achieve academic success. According to the 2018 PRIDE Student Survey conducted through Communities That Care, there is a sharp upward trend in the number of Lorain County youth who reported using e-cigarettes or “vaping,” with 13.2% of 8th graders reporting they smoked some form of electronic cigarette in the past 30 days. This rose to 37% among 12th graders. While the specific risks and impact of “vaping” are still being studied, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development.
Lorain County students also reported struggling with depression, anxiety, stress and suicide at a much younger age, and show an upward trend. Coupled with this, both 6th and 8th graders reported an increase in use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco/e-cigarettes. Like some adults, when teenagers experience emotional problems they may turn to alcohol or drug use to help them manage difficult or painful feelings.
Some additional findings:
- 18.5% of 6th graders reported seriously considering attempting suicide in the past 12 months, increasing to 27.5% of 12th graders.
- 33% of 8th graders and 38% of 10th graders reported feeling sad/hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks or more in a row.
- Nearly 1 out of 3 12th graders reported past 30-day use of alcohol (32.4%) and marijuana (30.6%)
Read more about the PRIDE student survey and what our youth are saying about alcohol, tobacco and drug use and beliefs and about their mental and physical health at https://create.piktochart.com/output/39332891-2018-pride-survey-data-highlights