Two out of ten high school students say they experience severe psychological suffering, with suicidal thoughts, while the mental health of children in nursery and primary school remains weakened in particular by the confinements of the Covid-19 pandemic, show two health surveys published Tuesday June 2.
These data are taken from the latest edition of the national survey in middle and high schools among adolescents on health and substances (EnCLASS) conducted in 2024 among 11,400 secondary students by Santé publique France (SpF).
Questioned in this context, 20% of high school students declared having had “suicidal thoughts” during the last 12 months, which represents a slight improvement (– 4 points) compared to 2022, on the other hand “declared suicide attempts during their life” concerned 15% of them, an increasing figure (+ 2 points).
However, it appears that around eight out of ten middle and high school students (82% and 78% respectively) perceive themselves to be in “good” or “excellent” health.
But “the most severe forms of psychological suffering persist among some adolescents”, notes SpF, noting that almost one high school student in five (19%) has a “significant risk of depression” (lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, feeling of discouragement, etc.), “more marked among girls”: i.e. + 3.5 points compared to 2022.
A more “contrasted” situation
After a “marked deterioration” in well-being and mental health indicators between 2018 and 2022, the situation turns out to be more “contrasted” in 2024, but the mental health indicators for girls are “systematically less favorable” than those for boys, “with gaps increasing during secondary school”.
The health agency simultaneously publishes new data on Tuesday around the Enabee survey – carried out in 2022, and the first results of which were published in 2023 -, devoted to the mental health of children attending nursery or elementary school in mainland France, based on questionnaires completed by 8,172 children, one of their parents and their teacher.
Three years ago, Enabee estimated at 13% the proportion of 6-11 year olds presenting a probable mental health disorder: emotional, oppositional, inattention/hyperactivity disorders, according to the declarations collected. After cross-referencing “individual, family, relational and environmental” factors, the new results released on Tuesday provide “a snapshot” of factors associated with the presence of mental health disorders in these children.
It emerges, among other things, that children experiencing academic difficulties or having experienced difficult events (bereavement, aggression, placement in ASE) but also painful confinement during the health crisis linked to Covid-19, more often present problems.
