According to a new national report, more girls in Indiana are graduating from high school than in previous years, but they are experiencing higher rates of bullying and mental health problems.

The second annual Indiana Girl Report, a collaboration between the Indiana Youth Institute and the Girl Coalition of Indiana, examines indicators of physical, academic, emotional and social well-being to provide insight into the overall well-being of girls across the state.

It also includes recommendations for parents, service providers and legislators to help girls make progress in areas where they may be struggling.

“The 2024 Indiana Girl Report is more than a collection of data. It is an example of the fundamental role data plays in our collective work to care for and improve the lives of Indiana’s children,” said Tami Silverman, President and CEO of IYI. “We are proud to partner with Girl Co., which is committed to using data to create impactful change. Together, we are making progress toward a better future for every girl in Indiana.”

Mental health

This year’s report shows that bullying against girls increased by more than 17 percent from 2022 to 2023. The increase was particularly strong in verbal and written/electronic bullying.

Additional data shows that in 2022, nearly half of girls in seventh through 12th grade felt sad or hopeless for more than two weeks, and nearly a quarter said they had seriously considered ending their lives. In comparison, about a quarter of boys in seventh through 12th grade felt sad or hopeless for more than two weeks, and more than 10 percent thought about ending their lives.

The data also showed that girls in Indiana were more likely than boys to skip meals, lack interest in food, and be extremely picky eaters.

Despite growing concerns about girls’ mental health, more than half of parents of girls ages three to 17 said they struggled to find treatment or counseling for their daughters.

Academics

There are some bright spots in the data, particularly in girls’ academic performance. Nearly half of girls in grades three through eight passed the English section of the ILEARN exam. While girls’ math scores are still significantly lower than boys’, they improved between 2022 and 2023.

By 2023, more than 90 percent of girls in the state will have graduated from high school. Of those girls, more than 35 percent will have received an honors degree.

Girls also lead the state in college enrollment. About 60 percent of girls who graduated in 2021 enrolled in college, compared to 46 percent of boys. Girls of all racial and ethnic groups had a higher percentage of college enrollment than boys in the same demographic.

The report says girls are more likely than boys to study education, health, arts and humanities, and social and behavioral sciences, and are more likely than boys to complete college within four to six years.

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Social well-being

According to the report, girls in Indiana participated in clubs, sports and classes more frequently in 2021-2022 than the national average. However, girls in sixth through 12th grades were more likely to smoke cigarettes, vape, use marijuana, binge drink and use over-the-counter drugs than boys in 2022. Alcohol and drug use was particularly high among girls.

The teen birth rate declined significantly from 2015 to 2022, but the report highlighted that sexual violence against girls in Indiana remains a persistent problem.

One in five high school girls reported experiencing sexual violence in 2021. More than 37 percent of high school girls reported being emotionally hurt or controlled by someone they were dating, and 17 percent of girls experienced intimate partner sexual violence.

The study also examined adverse childhood experiences, known as ACEs, which include things like witnessing violence, having a parent or guardian incarcerated, living with a mentally ill person, experiencing severe economic hardship, trauma based on sexuality, race, ethnicity, illness or disability, or experiencing divorce or the death of a parent.

Girls in Indiana scored higher than the national average in every ACE category in 2021-2022, with the percentage being particularly high (12.5 percent) among girls who lived with someone who had a drug or alcohol problem.

Physical health

Girls in Indiana had more mild genetic and inherited conditions than the national average in 2021-2022. However, girls in Indiana had fewer moderate to severe genetic and inherited conditions. More girls in Indiana also took prescription medications and received support for persistent emotional, developmental, or behavioral problems.

During the same period, girls in Indiana were more likely to have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, speech or language disorders, developmental delays, behavioral problems, depression, anxiety, severe headaches or migraines, and allergies than the national average.

The report showed that girls in Indiana had particular difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions, and digesting food compared to other girls nationwide. About eight percent of girls in Indiana did not have health insurance in 2021-2022.

Food and housing insecurity are also challenges for girls in Indiana. Less than four percent of girls lived in households where their families could not afford enough to eat. However, nearly 30 percent reported that their families could not always afford healthy food. Nearly 18 percent of children in Indiana experienced housing insecurity in 2022, and 22 percent of children lived in a household with high housing costs.

According to the report, sleep and physical activity are also important indicators of girls’ health. High school girls reported being less physically active than boys in 2021. Girls in Indiana also reported sleeping less than the national average in 2022.

Kirsten is our education reporter. You can reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.