Indiana girls face increased bullying, mental health challenges, new report says

Girls in Indiana are graduating high school at a higher rate than previous years but are struggling more with bullying and mental health challenges, according to a new statewide report.

The second annual Indiana Girl Report, a collaboration between the Indiana Youth Institute and the Girl Coalition of Indiana, looks at indicators of physical, academic, emotional and social wellness to provide a glimpse into the overall well-being of girls throughout the state.

It also includes recommendations for parents, service providers and lawmakers to help girls improve in areas where they may be struggling.

“The 2024 Indiana Girl Report is more than a collection of data. It is an example of the foundational role data has in our collective work to care for and improve the lives of Indiana kids,” said IYI President and CEO Tami Silverman. “We are proud to collaborate with Girl Co., who is dedicated to leveraging data for impactful change. Together, we are making strides towards a brighter future for every girl in Indiana."

Mental Health

This year’s report shows bullying toward girls increased by more than 17 percent from 2022 to 2023. The increase was especially profound in verbal and written/electronic bullying.

Additional data shows nearly half of girls in seventh to 12th grade felt sad or hopeless for more than two weeks in 2022, and nearly a quarter said they seriously considered taking their own lives. By comparison, about a quarter of seventh to 12th grade boys felt sad or hopeless for more than two weeks, and more than 10 percent considered ending their lives.

The data also showed that Indiana girls struggle more than boys with skipping meals, disinterest in food and extremely picky eating.

Despite increased concern about girls’ mental health, more than half of parents with girls between the ages of three and 17 said they struggle to find their daughters treatment or counseling.

Academics

There are some bright spots in the data, particularly in girls’ academic achievements. Almost half of girls in third to eighth grade passed the English language arts section of the ILEARN exam. Even though girls’ math scores are still considerably lower than boys’ scores, they did improve between 2022 and 2023.

More than 90 percent of girls in the state graduated high school in 2023. Of those girls, more than 35 percent received academic honors diplomas.

Girls are also leading the state in college enrollment. About 60 percent of girls who graduated in 2021 enrolled in college compared with 46 percent of boys. Girls in every racial and ethnic group had a higher college enrollment percentage than boys in that same demographic.

The report said girls are more likely than boys to study education, health, arts and humanities, and social and behavioral programs in college. They are also more likely than boys to complete college within four to six years.
 

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Social wellness

According the the report, girls in Indiana participated in clubs, sports and lessons at higher rates than the national averages in 2021 to 2022. However, girls in sixth to 12th grade smoked cigarettes, vaped, used marijuana, binge drank and got high on over-the-counter drugs at higher rates than boys in 2022. Girls’ alcohol and drug use were particularly high.

Teen birth rates decreased significantly from 2015 to 2022, but the report highlighted sexual violence as an ongoing problem for girls in Indiana.

One in five high school girls reported experiencing sexual violence in 2021. More than 37 percent of girls in high school reported being emotionally hurt or controlled by someone they were dating, and 17 percent of girls experienced sexual dating violence.

The study also looked at adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. ACEs include things like witnessing violence, having a parent or guardian become incarcerated, living with someone who has a mental illness, severe economic hardship, experiencing trauma due to sexuality, race, ethnicity or a health condition or disability, or experiencing divorce or the death of a parent.

Girls in Indiana scored higher than the national average in every ACE category in 2021-2022. The percentage was especially high (12.5 percent) for girls who lived with someone who had a problem with drugs or alcohol.

Physical health

Indiana girls had higher rates of mild genetic and inherited conditions than the national average in 2021-2022. However, girls in Indiana had lower rates of moderate to severe genetic and inherited conditions. More girls in Indiana also used prescription medications and received support for ongoing emotional, developmental or behavioral conditions.

During that same time period, girls in Indiana struggled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, speech or language disorders, developmental delays, behavioral problems, depression, anxiety, severe headaches or migraines and allergies at rates higher than the national average.

The report showed girls in Indiana had particular difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions as well as digesting food when compared to other girls across the country. About eight percent of girls in Indiana did not have health insurance in 2021-2022.

Food and housing insecurity are also challenges facing Indiana girls. Less than four percent of girls lived in households where their families could not afford enough to eat. However, almost 30 percent said their families could not always afford healthy food. A little less than 18 percent of children in Indiana experienced housing instability in 2022, and 22 percent of children lived in a household with a high housing cost burden.

The report said sleep and physical activity are also important indicators of girls' health. High school girls reported less physical activity than boys in 2021. Girls in Indiana also reported sleeping less than the national average in 2022.

Kirsten is Indiana Public Broadcasting's education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.