State of the Georgia Girl Report

Stress & Anxiety

The Georgia Student Health Survey offers a view into the prevailing sources of stress for reporting youth. Most concerning is the macro-view of these causes: across every measured category, girls in Georgia experience more stress than boys . Beneath the overall trend is an echo of the challenges in balancing strong academic performance with the pressure to perform. The dominant contributor to chronic stress for teenage girls is school: 3 out of 4 girls report stress about school, nearly 2x higher than boys. Researchers studying the disproportionate prevalence of mental health challenges in adolescent girls point to a higher rate of stressful events in girls’ lives, compounded by underdeveloped emotional regulation skills during adolescence (Vucenovic, 2023). The result is a generation of girls reporting persistent, high intensity stress - a precursor to deeper mental health struggles.

"I always feel stressed," reported by middle and high school youth.

33%

Female

16%

Male

Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Student Health Survey – Middle and High School, 2023–2024.

School is the leading cause of stress for Georgia girls, with 3 out of 4 girls reporting school-related stress - 50% higher than boys. Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Student Health Survey – Middle and High School, 2023–2024.

Causes of Stress among Middle and High School Youth

73%

Demands of school work

56%

69%

School grades or performance

49%

38%

Family reasons

22%

36%

Problems with peers or friends

19%

16%

Problems with partner/girlfriend/boyfriend

10%

16%

Social Media

7%

8%

Housing Concerns

6%

7%

Being bullied

6%

Female

Male

2%

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) POWERED BY THE GIRL SCOUT COUNCILS SERVING THE STATE OF GEORGIA 45

3%