RESEARCH

The National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health

In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children's Hospital Association declared a “National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.” Reasons for the mental health crisis are thought to include the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism, and social media. [1]

Anxiety regarding climate change is also likely a contributor in some cases. In May 2023, the United States Surgeon General issued an advisory statement citing the association between heavy social media use (>3 hours per day) and an increased risk of depression and anxiety. The report found that limits on the use of social media significantly decreased depression symptoms. Interventions that seek to address the mental health crisis in youth will need to help children take time away from screens and to engage in the world around them.

The Decade of Ecosystem Restoration

Climate change and biodiversity loss pose another immense public health challenge. The United Nations declared the decade between 2021-2030 to be the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.” Ecosystem restoration, or the act of restoring degraded ecosystems through planting native species, can mitigate against biodiversity loss and climate change impacts by helping shelter communities against extreme heat and wildfire smoke, amongst other benefits. Communities across the globe have pledged to plant more trees to help fight climate change.

It has been demonstrated in the scientific literature that being in nature is associated with improvements in children's health. Associations between nature contact and child health include increased rates of physical activity leading to better cardiovascular health and many mental health benefits, including increased reductions in anxiety and depression, and enhanced ability to cope with adversity. However, ecosystem restoration as a child health intervention has not specifically been studied. This pilot program hypothesizes that engaging youth in ecosystem restoration in their own communities, paired with social-emotional teaching, has the ability to significantly positively impact children's mental wellbeing through restoring youth's sense of place, agency, resiliency, and confidence.

[1] Social Media and Youth Mental Health. The US Surgeon General's Advisory, 2023.