An annual report that tracks the health of Maine children finds that mental health, maltreatment, and poverty are among the top challenges facing youth.
Maine's rate of child maltreatment has spiked in recent years to become the highest in the country, according to the latest Kids COUNT Data Book from the Maine Children's Alliance. As of 2020, 19 of every 1,000 children in the state were abused or neglected. That's more than double the national average.
The report also says that children's mental health continues to be a growing crisis. Nearly half of all female high school students in the state reported feeling sad or hopeless in 2021. Youth visits to emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts or attempts increased by 500 that year and stayed at that higher level through 2022.
Child poverty hit a low in 2020 but has since ticked up, with 34,000 children in Maine living in households below the federal poverty level.
The report makes several recommendations to improve child health and welfare, including better access to affordable housing, health coverage, and child care.
