While depression is a common problem among adolescents, it can be a challenge to identify teens at risk for or suffering from depression. This program addresses this critical issue by providing school-based mental health screening to all students in designated grades and offering additional support to adolescents at high risk for depression and/or suicidal behaviors.

The program provides:

• Resources that increase the school community’s mental health awareness and literacy, which serves as a prevention tool for adolescent depression
• Two-level screening for students, including universal, self-reported screening for all students followed by in-depth interviews with students who are identified as high risk
• Communication with parents/guardians about youth depression and resources
• More significant follow-up (both immediate and long-term) for parents/guardians of high-risk teens
• Referral access for all school families

Importance of Preventing Depression in Adolescents

The average age for the onset of depression is 15. Recent studies show that 13-15% of teens aged 12-17 have suffered at least one depressive episode, up from 8% in 2007. In addition, suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States.

There are several short-term and long-term consequences of adolescent depression. Short-term consequences include difficult family/peer relationships, impaired school and work performance, increased risk for substance abuse, and increased suicidal behavior. Long-term consequences include poor functional outcomes in adulthood, reduced life satisfaction, higher rates of suicide attempts, more psychiatric and medical hospitalizations, lower educational attainment, and more time out of work. Having a depressive episode in adolescence or young adulthood increases the risk of having an episode later on, making early prevention efforts of utmost importance.

Depression Prevention in Schools

Research indicates that prevention programs can reduce the incidence of both depressive symptoms and depressive episodes. Addressing depression and suicidal behavior in the school setting can be particularly effective. The 2021 Surgeon General’s report on youth mental health reports that educators are well-positioned to notice early signs of depression. Additionally, research shows that teens prefer to receive mental health services in schools, rather than in mental health specialty settings.

Dr. Tracy R.G. Gladstone

Dr. Gladstone is a senior scholar at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. She is also an assistant in psychology at Boston Children’s Hospital, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, and a research scientist at Judge Baker Children’s Center. For the past 25 years, Dr. Gladstone has focused her research on the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of preventive interventions targeting depression in children and families. She is trained in a variety of different intervention approaches and has co-authored a number of peer-reviewed manuscripts reporting the results of her research. She has taken an active role in teaching about depression, prevention, and intervention in local, national, and international settings.

Watch: Supporting Adolescent Mental Health in the 'New Normal'

On October 27, 2021, the Wellesley Centers for Women hosted “Supporting Adolescent Mental Health in the ‘New Normal,’” a virtual Social Change Dialogue on how educators, parents, and school communities can come together to support mental health for middle school and high school students.

Panelists included Dr. Gladstone, WCW Postdoctoral Research Scientist Katherine R. Buchholz, Ph.D., Principal David Jordan, Ed.D., of Robert Adams Middle School in Holliston, MA, and School Psychologist Deanna Kanavas-DeRocher, Ed.S., LMHC, of Natick High School in Natick, MA.

Background

The Women's Leadership in Resident Theaters study examined gender representation in leadership and those “next in line” at theaters that were members of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) during the 2013-2014 performance season. The study tracked a sizable gender imbalance among leaders in the field and articulated the structural barriers facing women aspiring to executive-level positions. The study’s release led to the formation of LORT’s Diversity Task Force, which has evolved into the LORT Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. Since 2016, the number of female artistic and executive leaders at LORT theaters has increased, and many of these theaters, for the first time in their history, are being led by women, a handful of them BIPOC.

While the study primarily focused on gender representation, researchers also found a “virtual absence of women of color in regional theaters.” Since the study’s publication, the number of BIPOC leaders at LORT theaters has also increased, but representation remains low, particularly for BIPOC men. Analyzing the current racial and gender representation of leadership and barriers to entry will continue to illuminate both progress and challenges for LORT to consider in its future efforts to eliminate and dismantle oppressive systems and practices.

Methodology

Following the methodology of the Women’s Leadership in Resident Theatres study, this study will investigate the identity-specific barriers (e.g., personal, cultural, systemic) connected to leadership positions and influence in LORT theaters. To do this, current executive leaders and next-in-line leaders at LORT theaters will be surveyed and interviewed. In addition, the study will expand upon the work of the original study by including discussions with senior staff members, trustees, search committee members, and executive search consultants. In order to fully assess the systemic barriers encountered by people seeking leadership positions in the American theater, all parties involved in the hiring process must be fully assessed, particularly the handful of executive search firms that hold disproportionate influence on the executive search process for a majority of LORT’s member theaters.

Desired Outcomes

The study aims to increase awareness of persisting racial and gender inequities for artistic and executive leaders and those that aspire to such positions. It will provide recommendations designed to guide changes in the development and selection of a robust and diverse slate of candidates for leadership positions at LORT theaters as well as other arts and cultural organizations.

Asian American adolescents are facing unprecedented risks to their mental health. They are living with high levels of anti-Asian hate and violence fueled by references to COVID-19 as “the China virus.” Physical assaults against Asian Americans skyrocketed by 145% in 2020, and 80% of youth report being bullied or verbally harassed.

Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., is involved in the BOBA Project, a study that will fill a critical gap in the science of how discrimination affects Asian American adolescent mental health. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and led by Dr. Cindy Liu, director of the Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dr. Tiffany Yip of Fordham University.

Charmaraman and her colleagues are following 350 Chinese American adolescents, their Chinese heritage parent, and a peer to investigate the effects of discrimination experiences, discrimination responses, and racial socialization processes on adolescent mental health and chronic stress. The long-term objective is to develop evidence on how parents, peers, and social media can be leveraged to mitigate the negative health consequences of discrimination. Charmaraman and her Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab are focused on understanding the racial socialization processes that take place within peer relationships, particularly on social media.

This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health: R01MH129360.

The Adolescent Media Project, a collaborative study between the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab and the Boston Children’s Digital Wellness Lab, aims to better understand the contexts and characteristics that influence how social media use connects with mental health and wellbeing for young adolescents. It capitalizes and expands upon an existing longitudinal study and, for a subset of young users (13- to 14-year-olds), utilizes data that assesses adolescents moment-by-moment.

The study’s primary aim is to determine the specific characteristics (e.g., demographics) and social contexts (e.g., COVID pandemic, family media rules) of adolescents’ online social interactions (e.g., relationship of the people interacting, content of interaction, total amount of use) that are associated with indicators of mental wellbeing.

The study’s significance lies in 1) furthering scientific understanding about standardized data collection methods and innovative technology to systematically document early adolescent digital interactions at a more timely, contextualized level, and 2) identifying contextual variables and individual characteristics that are associated with risky and resilient social media use. In the long term, findings will be applicable to interventions designed to encourage online behaviors linked to positive mental health outcomes and discourage others.

Now Enrolling Participants!

Are you an adolescent between the ages of 13-17 years old? Do you own a smartphone (iPhone or Android)? Were you a student at Coakley Middle School or Norwood High School at any point from 2019-2022? If yes, click here for you and your parent/guardian to learn more.