Survey: Iowa girls more likely to be depressed, suicidal than boys

Iowa's young girls are more likely to have thoughts of suicide and be bullied than young boys, according to the Iowa Youth Survey released Friday by the state Department of Public Health.

The survey, completed every two or three years, measures behaviors by Iowa middle school and high school students, including eating habits, alcohol use and general well-being. The Department of Public Health said 77,139 students in sixth, eighth and 11th grades representing 85 percent of public school districts completed the survey in 2014.

Answers reveal that across all age groups and questions relating to mental well-being, girls were more likely to feel depressed and suicidal than boys.

About half of students, 46 percent, across all grades said they felt worthless at some point in the past 30 days. But 53 percent of girls felt that way compared with 37 percent of boys.

Overall, about 17 percent of students said they felt 'sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row during the past year.'

And once again, a higher percentage of girls reported feeling sad or hopeless for an extended period than teenage boys — with 23 percent of the girls reporting those feelings compared with 12 percent of the boys. The grade level breakdown shows 31 percent of female 11th-graders, 24 percent of female eighth-graders and 14 percent of female sixth-graders felt that way compared with 15 percent, 10 percent and 11 percent of males, respectively.

The survey also asked a series of questions about suicide, which shows that 17 percent of girls thought seriously about killing themselves compared with 9 percent of boys. Suicidal thoughts were highest among eighth and 11th grade girls — with 21 percent of girls in both age groups saying they've felt that way in the past year. Those percentages are significantly higher than for boys in the same age groups, where 11 percent of 11th grade boys and 8 percent of eighth grade boys said they felt that way.

Additionally, girls were more likely to plan and attempt suicide than were boys. The survey found that overall, 10 percent of girls planned how they would kill themselves and 5 percent attempted suicide, compared with 6 percent of boys who planned and 2 percent who tried.

Girls also appeared to be bullied more frequently, with more reporting they were made fun of, excluded or talked about than boys. Survey results show that 69 percent of girls were left out of things one or more times compared with 43 percent of boys, and 38 percent of girls said other students spread rumors about them compared with 25 percent of boys.

Building self esteem

'This survey really spells it out — it's harder for girls, they take things more to heart,' said Esther Baker, executive director of the Eastern Iowa chapter of Girls on the Run, a not-for-profit group that works with elementary- and middle- school-aged girls to be more healthy and confident.

Baker said that boys certainly have similar issues, just not at the same levels as young girls. That's partially because girls are so inundated with images and ideas of what they should look like and how they should act, she said, adding research has shown that a high percentage of teenage girls have reported they don't like their bodies and young girls want to hide that they are smart or talented.

The 10-week program teaches girls about self-esteem, how to love themselves and their bodies, how to stand up to bullies and how to avoid gossip, she said. They also build stamina and endurance to run or walk a celebratory 5k race at the end of the program, she said, which will take place May 2.

'We work on their physical, emotional and mental health,' she said. 'It's a very holistic program.'

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois also has specific programming that focuses on building young girls' confidence, in addition to their courage and their character. The group works with 3,355 girls in Benton, Linn, Johnson and Washington counties.

Emily Droessler, the leadership experience manager of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City office, pointed to the organization's BFF — Be a Friend First — program, which is an anti-bullying and self-esteem building class. The BFF program along with the annual cookie sale and community service projects teach the girls how to be confident leaders, she said, which is an important thing to do while girls' minds and bodies are still developing.

'Our whole mission to to build leadership skills and give the girls the knowledge on how to stand up for themselves and get help when they need it,' she said.

Both Baker and Droessler agree, that whatever the program, the message needs to be clear.

'You are good the way you are,' Baker said.

2014 Iowa Youth Survey (PDF) 2014 Iowa Youth Survey (Text)