➜ Substance use down, but serious mental health concerns at Rappahannock public schools
35 percent of students surveyed are ‘struggling with depression’
Rather than dwelling on negativity when it comes to any substance abuse among Rappahannock County Public Schools students, those administering 2019’s RCPS PRIDE Survey announced their findings in this optimistic way:
Rappahannock students who reported NO substance use:
70 percent are NOT using alcohol
79 percent are NOT using e-cigarettes
87 percent are NOT using marijuana
88 percent are NOT using tobacco
97 percent are NOT using prescription drugs (non-prescribed)
Bottom line, and it’s welcome news, substance abuse is down in every one of the above categories since periodic PRIDE surveys began in this region in 2001, in most cases significantly.
Of the Rappahannock students who admit to substance use, the average age for first using alcohol was 12.6 years; tobacco 12.7 years; marijuana 13.4 years; E-cigarettes 13.4 years; and non-prescribed prescription drugs 13.2 years.
That said, there are serious mental health concerns among Rappahannock
County students, with a quite sizable 35 percent of respondents saying they are “Struggling with Depression.”
Another 45 percent surveyed revealed they are “Struggling with Anxiety.”
The Rappahannock News reported in January 2019 that 17 percent of Rappahannock County High School students “seriously thought about suicide,” as revealed during the most recent School Climate Survey.
“We haven’t seen it that high, and we give the test every two years,” RCPS Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley told us.
All told, 238 students in grades 7 through 12 participated in the 2019 PRIDE Survey, which was administered last September shortly after the current school year began. It is one of the largest instruments used nationwide to gauge adolescent drug use and is utilized by hundreds of school systems.
The survey conducted in Rappahannock was overseen by the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County, Fauquier CADRE, and the PATH Foundation. Identical surveys were conducted among students in Fauquier, as well as Highland School in Warrenton, the first time since periodic surveys began in 1990 that a private school has been included.
Narrowing in on the mental health statistics for Rappahannock, 23 percent of students said that if they were experiencing intense feelings of sadness or were wanting to hurt themselves they might not seek help because they would worry about what others might think.
Another 59 percent reported that they would go to a friend if they were experiencing intense feelings of sadness, depression, anxiety, or were wanting to hurt themselves.
This reinforces the need for all students to be educated and trained on how to help peers who are struggling and how to refer them to appropriate resources within the school, the study states. Fifty-five percent of students reported they would approach a parent or relative; 19 percent reported that they would not talk to anyone.
Students saying they have a healthy relationship with at least one adult in their school who they can talk to about stress and other concerns: 63 percent answered yes; 10 percent no, 27 percent unsure.
Finally, 52 percent of Rappahannock middle school students and 72 percent of high school students reported that they experienced “stress with schoolwork.” When assessing other stressors (e.g. family, friends, extracurriculars), schoolwork was by far the most stressful for students.
Reacting to the PRIDE poll’s findings, which were presented Tuesday night during a joint meeting of the Rappahannock School Board and the county’s Board of Supervisors, Grimsley acknowledged that the survey as a whole “seems to be really heavy — and it is!”
At which time it was pointed out that bringing aboard a school social worker this past year, who is now working full time with students on everything from substance abuse to depression, was certainly the right decision.