• Sherry Everett Jones, Marci F Hertz, Sarah A DeGue, Caitlin L Merlo, Rumour P Piepenbrink, Vi D Le, Patricia J Dittus, Aaron L Houston, Jemekia E Thornton, and Kathleen A Ethier.
• Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: sce2@cdc.gov.
• Am J Prev Med. 2023 Mar 1; 64 (3): 414422414-422.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented socioeconomic and health impacts in the U.S. This study examined racial/ethnic and school poverty status differences in the relationship between parent job loss, experiences with hunger, and indicators of mental health problems among public high-school students nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThe study analyzed data from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, conducted in January-June 2021. The Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey was a 1-time, cross-sectional, online survey that used a stratified, 3-stage cluster sample to obtain a nationally representative sample of high-school students in the U.S. This study was limited to public-school students (n=7,379).ResultsAmong public high-school students nationwide, 36.9% experienced poor mental health during the pandemic, and during the past year, 43.9% experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, 19.8% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9.1% attempted suicide. Parent job loss and having gone hungry were associated with indicators of mental health problems overall and across racial/ethnic groups and school poverty status levels.ConclusionsStudents who experience parent job loss and hunger are likely to also experience poor mental health and may be at higher risk for suicide.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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