Trumbull youth survey shows declines in substance use but rising mental-health signals

The Trumbull Prevention Partnership (TPAUD) presented results of its 2025 youth survey on June 1, reporting an 88 percent response rate among 7th–12th graders and notable trends in substance use and mental health.

TPAUD Project Director Melissa McGarry said past-30-day substance-use rates among 7th–12th graders have decreased compared with prior survey years, while mental-health indicators—rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness—rise with age. The survey found 61 percent of students know where to go for mental-health support, but some groups (including gender and sexual minorities and certain racial groups) report lower access to trusted adults. The presentation showed 1 in 3 teens who have experienced poor mental health have talked to an adult.

TPAUD highlighted new topics such as smartphone attitudes and nicotine oral pouches, reported a confidence interval of +/-0.64 at 95 percent and noted efforts to eliminate low-quality responses before analysis. McGarry said a pending state grant application could provide $125,000 per year for five years; opioid settlement funds are being used for prevention, recovery and treatment in the near term.

Recommendations included shifting from resource awareness to help-seeking norms, digital-wellness education, peer-norm campaigns and targeted outreach for groups with lower protective factors. Council members asked about focus-group methods, anonymity protections and grant opportunities; McGarry explained recruitment challenges for focus groups and the survey’s anonymous administration.

TPAUD plans to use the survey data to inform prevention campaigns and digital self-management skills programming in schools and community settings.