Science Communication strategies do not only make science come alive — they also can shape how we talk with young people about mental health.
Read about current trends in science communication and science communication-related activities in the SciComm Close-Up, a monthly deep dive into science communication from the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies’ Science Communication (SciComm) certificate program. The SciComm Close-up is part of the program’s monthly newsletter SciComm Spotlight.
The way we talk with young people about mental health today is shaped by a long history of stigma, silence, and adult-centered decision-making. This worrisome history, fueled by a lack of education and poor communication, has created a multigenerational challenge of connecting with our youth during times of mental health distress. Scientists, mental health professionals, and psychology students are well versed in the origins, detection, and treatment of mental illnesses, and even teachers, school staff, and parents as well as other trusted adults have a better understanding of mental health than ever before. However, young people themselves are often not involved in critical conversations around their mental health and are often talked to instead of talked with. Science communication (SciComm) strategies are one way to change that.
Youth Mental Health Crisis
The lack of young people’s holistic participation in mental health conversations is particularly concerning as rates of mental health conditions in children and young people are ever-increasing and are even described as a global pandemic. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that one in five children has a diagnosed mental health condition — and that does not even account for those who go undiagnosed. Anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders are the most common occurrences in children under the age of 10. The CDC also mentions that 20 percent of teenagers report that they have unmet mental health needs. To add to those staggering numbers, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people. For years, news outlets have reported how social media’s addictive design features, clickbait, cyberbullying, and constant exposure to artificial intelligence-generated content create environments that can disrupt young people’s healthy development and intensify mental health struggles.
How SciComm Strategies Can Help
To push against these trends and support our youth amid mental health concerns, we need to explore strategies to create open and honest dialogue with our youth. Two common strategies that science communicators use to engage public audiences can be a great starting point:
- Framing how we talk with young people about mental health
- Including relatable and meaningful stories when doing so
Conversations around mental health should empower young people to be proactive and not be intimidated by harsh, overwhelming emotions that are associated with mental health struggles. Often, talking about personal, sensitive matters related to their mental health is hard for young people, likely due to the stigma around mental health struggles. This is where framing and storytelling can really make a difference.
Framing Your Message
As science communicators, we learn early on that framing your message in ways that are meaningful for your audience can really affect how your content lands. One of the UMB SciComm program alums, Daniela Benites, wrote about how she successfully framed her message about COVID-19 vaccines to an older, skeptical family friend as a perfect example. When communicating with young people about mental health, we need to keep in mind that children and young adults who fear stigma, bullying, and peer rejection will not easily accept information that is given from an authoritarian position if it doesn’t seem valuable or important to them. Thus, framing a message about mental health and getting support needs to separate itself from the typical authoritarian frame that teachers, clinicians, and other adults so often use when speaking with young people. Entering the conversation from a non-authoritarian place also reminds us to break information into digestible pieces. Moving away from a lecturing perspective also invites kids to engage and make connections with the information rather than having the information dictated to them. Encouraging participation with easy questions, for example, builds confidence and promotes continued engagement.
Storytelling
The other common science communication practice, that of storytelling, can also enhance connections with young people. A 2022 article published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, supported by the global organization Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, points out that adolescents are more receptive to connection in the form of storytelling and empathy. Storytelling creates a safe environment where young people can hear about other people’s experiences with stressful situations. Someone who demonstrates how their experience relates to young people’s experiences, thinking, and lifestyles will gain more credibility and earn more trust than someone who has nothing in common with them. As trusted adults, showing our own vulnerability and struggles appropriately through our shared lived experiences demonstrates our empathy and humanity. And it takes trusted adults to allow young people to create a foundation for mutual understanding, resilience, and authenticity.
As adults, we need to model good behavior and help to reduce the stigma around mental health to battle today’s adolescent mental health crises. Teaching and encouraging kids to prioritize their mental health is key to educating, building trust, encouraging autonomy, promoting well-being, strengthening relationships, and increasing early intervention. Teaching and creating a safe place for these hard conversations with the tried-and-true science communications practices of framing and storytelling can create intimate bonding experiences that make it easier for young people to seek guidance and reach out for help from trusted adults, be it a parent, teacher, family friend, doctor, or psychologist.
Makyla Jones is a psychological research lead in the forensic neuropsychology lab at Fielding Graduate University, which has led her to disseminate her research across the country since 2022. This spring, she completed the Science Communication Graduate Certificate program at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies and has accepted an offer of admission into a PhD program in clinical psychology, where she plans to specialize in forensic neuroscience for adolescent populations.