Teen girls 'engulfed' in violence and trauma, CDC finds

[Nevilledog]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/02/13/teen-girls-violence-trauma-pandemic-cdc/

No paywall
https://archive.is/MWGi4

Teen girls across the United States are “engulfed in a growing wave of violence and trauma,” according to federal researchers who released data Monday showing increases in rape and sexual violence, as well as record levels of feeling sad or hopeless.

Nearly 1 in 3 high school girls reported in 2021 that they seriously considered suicide — up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago — according to new findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 15 percent of teen girls said they were forced to have sex, an increase of 27 percent over two years and the first increase since the CDC began tracking it.

“If you think about every 10 teen girls that you know, at least one and possibly more has been raped, and that is the highest level we’ve ever seen,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, who said the rise of sexual violence almost certainly contributed to the glaring spike of depressive symptoms. “We are really alarmed,” she said.

Ethier said it’s important to determine who is perpetrating the violence, which the survey did not address, and how it can be stopped.

Almost 3 in 5 teenage girls reported feeling so persistently sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row during the previous year that they stopped regular activities — a figure that was double the share of boys and the highest in a decade, CDC data showed.

*snip*

[Coventina]

1. I doubt these numbers are new, rather, becoming more accurate.

Men: You know rape victims, even if you think you don't.

You know a woman that was raped. Probably multiple women. They just don't often tell their stories.

To this day, my father still does not know my mother was a rape survivor. And they were married for 30 years before she died.

[Sky Jewels]

3. I'm in an all-women book group.

We're all pretty well-educated -- lower middle class to upper middle class in socioeconomic terms. Sometimes we talk about all the things males have done to us since we were about 10 or 11. It's not a big group, about seven core members, but at least two women were raped by men (one when she was 16). Everyone has at least a few stories of being grabbed, assaulted, street harassed, chased, stalked, etc. by males. We're all bloody sick of the male point of view dominating EVERYTHING, and in our own little protest we've decided to only read books by women authors.

[wnylib]

37. That fits well with what I have heard when

a group of women start talking about harassment and rape. I'm talking about just little groups of friends whose conversation drifts onto the topic, usually after some news report. These are not survivor support or therapy groups, just average women who either have experienced serious harassment (groping, quid pro quo threats at work), molestation as teens or children, or rape, OR who know someone who has experienced those things.

They talk about leaving jobs to get away from a harrasser or being fired for refusing or reporting sexual overtures from bosses or coworkers. Or they mention being leered at, pinched, or groped by an adult (a teacher, neighbor, family friend) in their teens and being afraid to tell anyone. In some cases they are brave enough to reveal having been raped on a date or by someone they knew and trusted.

It's much more common than many people realize.

[Sky Jewels]

54. Very true, very accurate

It’s just jaw-dropping how widespread this all is, and how it’s so common for men to attack and treat women like dirt that it just becomes part of everyday life, something that all women have in common.

[wnylib]

55. I got so annoyed and angry over harassment in workplaces that

I started carrying a small, voice activated tape recorder on me. I had no hope of supervisors or HR confronting the harrassers, but intended to tell them that I would mail a tape to their wife, neighbors, etc. This was before cell phones and internet.

We moved a few times for my husband's job. I worked temp jobs through agencies at new locations until I knew the area and job market. On one assignment, a guy was so crude and obnoxious that I did go to HR. The HR director did take it seriously but said that, unfortunately, it was my word against his since there were no witnesses. I handed her the tape. He was fired. (It is legal in NY to tape a conversation as long as one participant is aware of being taped.)

But I learned that many businesses have an official harassment policy that looks good on paper, but do nothing to enforce it. They consider complainers to be trouble makers.

In my teens, I got so annoyed at jerks who drove by, whistled, and made crude suggestions that I carried stones and threw them at the cars, then dashed away before they could stop the car and chase me.

One of my close friends was kidnapped and raped when she was 19. I heard it on the radio and called her house. Her mother said she would see me but no one else. She told me how she escaped and called police who ridiculed her and said she made up the story to cover up running away with a boyfriend. She called her parents who called the FBI (kidnapping across state lines). The FBI knew the guy from her description and were looking for him. But she was treated horribly in the local newspaper until her father threatened to sue them if they did not retract what they had printed. The FBI caught the guy and then she had to go through the trial. This was in the early 1970s, before the women's movement had made police take rape seriously and handle it professionally.

[Sky Jewels]

56. Oh my gosh. So much pain and suffering inflicted upon women in small and very large ways,

over and over and over and over and over ...

[wnylib]

57. To make it even worse, my friend was the shy one in our group

that hung around together in high school and after graduation. We used to fix her up with dates and the boys liked her but she was so shy that they said that they could not "connect" with her. Shy, soft spoken, very witty sense of humor within our group, and a very trusting sort of person. Until that day.

Today the media don't give out the names of rape survivors. But back then, they gave her name, age, and address in news reports. The local newspaper printed the warped story that the police had made up about her being a runaway and the rape accusation being false. The general public accepted media reports and made her life miserable. After the trial, she left town and I lost touch with her. Another friend from our group, whose parents were friends with her parents, told me that she went through a really bad period afterward, but eventually pulled herself together, married and had 3 kids.

[Sky Jewels]

58. Wow, what a resilient person.

It's beyond horrible she had to endure that.

[wnylib]

59. I didn't even tell all of what she experienced

from the cops who responded to her call. It's really nauseating. And then people who never met her piled up on the media story with their own speculative fantasies on what kind of person she was. I overheard them at work during lunch one day and got so angry that I told them that she was a close friend, they were totally wrong, and they were just as bad as the scumbag who kidnapped her. Made some enemies at work with that outburst, but who needs stupid people like that as friends?

Always amazes me how people who don't know the facts and details of a situation smugly talk as if they did.

[chowder66]

4. I can imagine it increasing with the age of the internet and the lack of skills young men

possess on how to socialize appropriately.
Also, the devaluation of women is seen at the highest levels of power in nearly every major organization run by men along with the elevation of right-wing misogynistic personalities. The growth of incel ideology seems exponential.

With that said, I do agree that some of those stats include more accuracy as well.

[Warpy]

36. I think you're exactly right about that

I was going to say "welcome to my world when I was a kid." It has always been this way for teenage girls, especially for those of us who were different in any way, which is nearly all of us. Only a fortunate few were the dream girls who escaped most of it, but I'm sure they just had different burdens to bear.

What we all learn at puberty is how vulnerable we are in a world where many males are predators and see us only as their prey, not as human beings. And some of those live just to hurt us.

It takes time to get over that and focus on the guys who aren't assholes.

[raccoon]

38. You beat me to the post. This has happened for ages just as you

Said. But now it is more reported and talked about.

[Polybius]

51. Have you ever considered letting him know?

Last edited Tue Feb 14, 2023, 09:23 AM - Edit history (1)

I know it's a tough decision.

[Coventina]

53. I've thought about it, but I don't think I ever will.

It was obviously her choice to not tell him, so unless there's a reason to, I don't think I will.

[CousinIT]

2. They are facing a world where they will be reproductive slaves...

....abortion being restricted or banned, along with contraception. They are bullied, judged more harshly than boys in every way, devalued (if they don't look "f*ckable" they're useless), and coerced or forced into sex - at school, sometimes at home and in the future, at work. They STILL do not have equal opportunity with boys and still cannot expect to be paid the same as them with equal qualifications and education in many or even most fields. If they decide to become wives and/or moms, that will cost them a LOT of career ground and individual financial stability and independence since the US has no decent childcare system or nationwide paid family or maternity leave (ie: required by federal law). They are NOT supported in any aspect of their lives -- OTHER than as breeding apparatus. They are constantly vulnerable and subjected to the oppression and misogynist judgement of social, legal, educational, professional, and economic systems. ESPECIALLY if they are girls or women of color.

Who WOULDN'T find that depressing? I agree with the other respondent here. This isn't new. It's just that the numbers are now more accurate. And truth is, it's probably even worse than that.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Yes it is going to get much worse for young women.

Forced births, making school and work attendance more difficult.
Limited options.
Reliance on men.

[Harker]

27. The men who are applying force and limiting options are clearly

the same ones who want young women to be reliant upon them.

That's as vicious a circle as there is.

[Irish_Dem]

29. Yes if women are pregnant all the time, they must rely on husbands.

With a houseful of children, options are limited for mothers.

[SheltieLover]

5. So sad!

Yale is offering Science of Well Being for Teens free!

Share with parents, teachers & teens!

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being-for-teens

[mzmolly]

8. I agree that's a large

part of the problem. Teen girls don't understand much of what they're seeing in social media, is mythical.

Great resource. Thank you!

[SheltieLover]

19. Yw!

I can't even count the teen girls I had to have admitted to psych wards because of social media.

[lindysalsagal]

31. Like tackle football, and gunz, and cults, no one wants to admit the damage social media causes

The damage is real and the data backs it up. Jean Twenge has compiled the stats from standard US data that's been generated for decades. Suicide and depression skyrocket for kids who got smartphones at 12 years of age. This is not her opinion. It's right there in the data.
http://www.jeantwenge.com/books/
http://www.jeantwenge.com/research/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691822000270

[SheltieLover]

45. Wow! Couple that with this 60 Minutes "Brainhacking"

and you have a recipe for disaster!

Ty for sharing!

[mzmolly]

44. That's so very

sad.

I'm glad there are people like you, who do such important work.

[SheltieLover]

46. ...

Ty! Retired now, but yowzer!

[SheltieLover]

6. Much of the teen suicidal ideation I saw when working with teens was due to social media.

Who wants to suicide because someone posted something online?

[Diamond_Dog]

10. Social media IMO plays a huge part.

Teen girls also don’t feel too welcome in schools. I can believe that. If they are being bullied or harassed, can they tell anyone without fear of reprisal? They probably feel that it’s pointless, “nothing will be done.”

Some things never change.

[SheltieLover]

14. Absolutely!

"Just boys being boys."

[CousinIT]

23. Social media has been a huge problem. Harassment of girls & women just moved online...

...and became more abusive and hateful because it's "anonymous" (though, not really!). And let's face it, Jr. High and High School kids are MEAN as hell even when they're not anonymous. Including some of the girls' treatment of other girls. On social media, it's mob mentality on steroids. When THAT (plus the other stuff mentioned in this thread) is coming at a kid 24 x 7 x 365, nobody ought to be surprised that they are suicidal.

[SheltieLover]

47. Absolutely!

[MagickMuffin]

7. Young girls, teenagers and adult women NEED to learn self defense

Learn all the basic skills and teach these rapist a lesson. Once finishing the butt kicking add an extra touch of groin punch. They’ll never feel the urge or desire to try and rape another person


Tired of the males trying to control us women!

[Mossfern]

9. Rape

can be ever so much more subtle. I consider coercion to be a form of rape.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. The vast majority of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse is proximal, meaning it's someone the

victim knows. Those moves are a lot harder to perform on family members, trusted adults and peers, for a wide variety of reasons.

[SheltieLover]

15. Absofuckingloutely!

The only cure for bullies is to beat their asses to a pulp!

[Tumbulu]

30. I think that more rapes are coerced by family/authority figures

than by strangers. So, not really rebuffed by those tactics.

Their power is on coercion such as : if you do not submit x,y z then at least these things (beat the dog, torture the sibling, etc etc) would happen to loved ones.

No kicking in the groin or other "self defense" work in those situations.

The only self defense is to move as far away as possible.

Something teens are not, in general, able to do.

[lindysalsagal]

32. I assume you are correct. Adults won't listen or kids know they won't be believed

They fear what the revelations about the friend or family member will do to their already shaky standing.

[Diamond_Dog]

12. When the "me too" movement was gaining traction

We had a thread going here asking female DUers if they’d ever been stalked, assaulted, raped, fondled, groped, etc. As I recall, the responses were many. Including my own.

Add social media bullying to this toxic environment and it’s no wonder many teens feel hopeless.

I think a periodic conversation with a mental health counselor should be mandatory for all kids in school, even if it’s just to chat and say how are you. Having an adult that isn’t a parent listen to you and take you seriously is much needed by many kids these days.

[SheltieLover]

16. And Psych 101 & human growth & dev should be mandatory

Middle school & high school.

[Diamond_Dog]

17. Great idea. 👍

[SheltieLover]

18. Why aren't those mandatory?

They apply to all humans.



Guessing if teen girls had an understanding of what they are going through, they would be less likely to get depressed.

[Diamond_Dog]

20. This would benefit boys AND girls

As well as a periodic chat with a mental health counselor. And age appropriate sex education.

But you know some stupid Moms for Freedumb group will make a stink about endoctrinating, and it will all end.

[SheltieLover]

22. Jee, it's almost as if someone doesn't want kids to live consciously.

[ShazzieB]

35. A periodic chat with a mental health counselor sounds wonderful!

Last edited Mon Feb 13, 2023, 08:40 PM - Edit history (2)

I was SO in need of that in high school. I had major mental health issues at that time that I didn't even recognize as such. Being able to talk to a mental health professional even semi-regularly during those years could have made a huge difference in my life.

And here we are, decades later, and girls are still going through awful stuff made even worse by social media and other changes in society. And it sounds like they're still not getting the help they need for the most part. That sucks.

[SheltieLover]

39. Same here, ShazzieB!

Ridiculous!

[ShazzieB]

48. I hear you, and I see you!

[SheltieLover]

49. How is your eye?

[ShazzieB]

50. Much better, thanks!

The great big floater I had after the surgery has completely disappeared, and the vision in that eye is steadily improving. I'll be seeing the doctor later this month, and I'm hoping to get a date scheduled for my right eye then. (Fingers crossed.🤞 I can't wait to get the whole thing over with and get new glasses based on my post-surgery vision.

[SheltieLover]

52. So glad to heae!

[calimary]

33. I'd highly recommend some martial arts training.

Seriously.

It was encouraging for me as a mom to watch the kids classes in which both my daughter and son were participants. It's not just about fancy posing and karate chopping. It's a whole other kind of training. It works the mind as well as the body.

Physically, of course, it's rigorous so everyone was very fit, young muscles nicely toned - so being able to run fast to get out of danger is definitely an option. And strength training is a big part of it.

But mentally, it was WUNNNNNNNderful! All the kids gained an overall sense of confidence. Confidence that maybe they could handle a dicey situation - even if it only meant "see and avoid" wisdom. Confidence that they could hold their own. Confidence in the building of awareness of the conditions around you, and a sense of management - that you'd know some basics AND conflict avoidance sensibilities.
AND the value of respect. Respect of others, and respect you earn, of and for yourself.

You develop a consciousness of mind, and heightened awareness. It was ALL to the good.

[SheltieLover]

40. Absolutely!

Martial arts are often part of OT programs.

And it stays with you, I can attest. Decades later, I was attacked. No thinking necessary. Automatic block & roundhouse kick to gut, in heels.

Ended that bs immediately!

Should be gym class for females, starting in middle school, or even sooner!

[Chakaconcarne]

21. we need to find solace in something

other than social media

[MontanaMama]

25. Agree that we need to help our kiddos

find meaning in their lives separate from social media. I don't think social media is going away any time soon but our kids really need help in navigating what's real and what's manufactured to keep them glued to their phones. As a parent, this is an ongoing struggle for me.

[SpamWyzer]

24. Sadly,

it is clear that women and girls are under considerable threat in the world in which we are raising our sons.

[MontanaMama]

26. Welcome to DU!

Women and girls are indeed under considerable threat. I'm raising my son to understand and acknowledge this so he isn't contributing to this mess.

[calimary]

34. Welcome to DU, SpamWyzer!

Last edited Mon Feb 13, 2023, 10:01 PM - Edit history (2)

Glad you're here - especially for a conversation like this one!

See Post 33, a little farther upthread. We found that BOTH girls AND boys profited immensely from martial arts training. Respect was such a critical factor in everything they learned. Respect for themselves and their own space and their own power, and respect for those around them.

[SheltieLover]

41. Absolutely! Both genders benefit, mind, bod, soul, & protectively!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. 2021 isolation was an unusual year. I'd be careful about drawing solid conclusions

The isolation made people a bit strange, some more than others.

Though the inference is dicey, it certainly points to a need for increased care and watchfulness to protect vulnerable people.

[Torchlight]

42. Unfortunately, those numbers increase every year.

Not simply the absolute numbers, but more concerning, the per capita numbers as well.

[snot]

43. I agree with other comments here; also, more than ever,

our culture celebrates violence and physical strength. Just look at the first Black Panther movie – the king is selected via a fist fight! Might = right.