State of the Georgia Girl Report

Access to Mental Health Care

Decades of research demonstrate that youth–adult connectedness is a key protective factor for adolescent health. The presence of caring, non-parental adults reduces the prevalence and severity of mental health challenges (Sieving, 2017), yet 2 out of 3 high school girls in Georgia report they do not have a caring adult to talk with about their feelings – a rate higher than their male peers. Out-of-school adult support is documented further in Social Wellness; in the context of mental health, the absence of such an adult relationship leaves Georgia girls without one of the strongest known buffers against depression, anxiety, and self-harm.

65% of high school girls in Georgia lack a caring adult to talk with about their feelings compared with 56% of boys.

EMOTIONAL WELLNESS OF GEORGIA GIRLS

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

When parents do seek mental health care for their daughters, they encounter system-level barriers. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, 50% of parents of girls ages 3 to 17 in Georgia report having difficulty accessing mental health care for their daughter, with 1 in 5 finding it very difficult or impossible to obtain treatment. Delays in early intervention for youth displaying mental health challenges often produce long term consequences. Youth are more likely to require more intensive, costly services later if left untreated , and display a higher prevalence of major depressive episodes in adulthood (Vucenovic, 2023). For Georgia girls already at elevated risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm, system-level barriers to care compound the individual crisis.

Difficulty in obtaining mental health treatment, reported by parents

3% Not possible to obtain care

17% Very difficult

30% Somewhat difficult

Georgia

50

THE 2026 STATE OF THE GEORGIA GIRL REPORT