The Youth Risk Behavior Survey data — collected in fall 2021 when most schools had returned to in-person instruction — is the first of its kind to be collected since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC noted that the time spent outside of school during the pandemic may have impacted the outcomes for many students.
The new data showed high and worsening levels of persistent sadness or hopelessness spanned across racial and ethnic groups. But it also found some episodes of violence had increased for certain groups.
