Nearly 2,200 Hawaii children will suffer from anxiety and depression in 2020, a 23% increase from 2016, according to a nationwide survey released Monday.
According to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book, which tracks state trends for children, Hawaii ranks at least one-third that of the United States for children’s educational (35th) and financial (34th) well-being. and found to be disproportionately affected. due to the high unemployment rate on the islands at the time, by the pandemic.
The report comes out ahead of Hawaii’s primary election on Saturday, and supporters said they hoped policymakers and candidates would pay attention.
“It’s good timing because kids have just returned to school in Hawaii. Leaders need to focus on making sure their mental health is on track, not just keeping up with schoolwork.” “It reminds me of that,” Hawaii Children’s Action Network Research and Economic Policy said in an interview.
“We all know the pandemic is really hard on our children,” added Wu. I didn’t even get to see them.” Hawaii Children’s Action Network was the state partner for this report.
An annual survey published by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks states according to 16 indicators in four categories. The island nation performed better in health (5th) and family and community (15th) rankings, according to a report that measured data from 2016 to 2020 to gauge the impact of the pandemic.
Hawaii moves up four notches from the 2021 report comparing stats from 2010 to 2019 to 22nd in the overall rankings. But advocates expressed particular concern about mental health, as a report estimated that in 2020, 5.9% of her children aged 3 to her 17 suffered from anxiety or depression in 2020. , compared to her 4.8% in 2016.
David Sun-Miyashiro, executive director of the nonprofit HawaiiKidsCan, was not surprised by the report’s findings.
“We are ready for the perfect storm of challenges,” said Sun-Miyashiro. “Even before the pandemic, we weren’t always at our best when it came to taking care of our children and families.
Hawaii’s children suffered disproportionately in the early stages of the pandemic, amid school closures and restrictions that essentially shut down the state’s primary tourism industry and led to record high unemployment, according to the report. board.
Yvette Stern of the University of Hawaii Family Center said the report was alarming.
“Research shows that children who grow up in families experiencing financial hardship feel the weight of that stress,” Stern said. “That’s why we need to support Hawaiian families, achieve economic stability, and improve access.”
Hawaii is in the bottom 10 states on several key metrics. This includes 72% of her 8th graders falling below her math proficiency level, about 9% of teenagers ages 16 to 19 not attending school or work, and her 37% included results that were low. The state was home to a family that spent over a third of her income on housing.
Wu said there had been past legislative efforts to ensure that school psychologists were qualified and well-compensated, but those measures had failed. If so, she added, her organization would again support these bills.
“Whatever our legislatures, governors, and county councils can do to help parents find housing and make ends meet, relieve the emotional stress of their children and help them succeed academically. It helps us to do that,” she added.
Hawaii State Legislature with Extra Budget Appropriates Billions of Dollars for Initiatives Designed to Help Families Cover High Costs of Living in State; Governor Offers $100 to $300 in Tax Refunds signed the law.
But supporters said more needs to be done.
Sun-Miyashiro said he welcomes the tax refunds approved this year, but wants to increase the amount to $1,000 for families in need.
“As you can see from this ranking, I don’t think we can rely on the status quo,” he said.
“There is a lot of great work underway in the state right now,” he continued. “Many schools are working hard on career paths and career preparation opportunities for their students, but there is definitely a lot more work to be done.”
Civil Beat health insurance is supported by the Atherton Family Foundation, Swain Family Fund of Hawaii Community Foundation, Cook Foundation and Papa Ola Lokahi.
