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D628: Public Health Graduate Capstone
Task 1: Capstone Literature Review
, 2
Identified Community and Public Health Issue
A1: Community and Public Health Issue
My chosen community for the project is New York State, where I reside. The adolescents
and emerging adults in New York have high mental health risks, such as anxiety, depression, and
suicidal thoughts, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More than 3.27 million adults in
New York suffer from a mental health issue, and 272,000 adolescents suffer from a major
depressive episode every year. Around 170,000 adolescents in New York have serious suicide
attempts every year (NAMI, 2025). A study by De France et al. (2022) indicated that adolescents
in New York exhibited significantly elevated levels of anxiety and depression during the
pandemic compared to pre-pandemic trends. The large and diverse population of the state, which
includes cities like New York City, is still currently dealing with disruptions caused by the
pandemic.
Social and economic factors play an important role in the public health problem. Over 3.6
million residents of New York lack adequate access to mental health care providers, and many
adults do not seek treatment due to cost constraints (NAMI, 2025). In terms of effects on young
people, it is evident that pandemic lifestyle factors are a strong predictor of depression and
emotion dysregulation, which are different for males and females in how financial stress and fear
of the virus (De France et al., 2022). Positive psychology characteristics and family resilience
can help mitigate the impact of these issues; however, fewer studies focus on these protective
factors than on morbidity. Economic uncertainty and social alienation continue to contribute to
youth's vulnerabilities (Shek, 2025).
New York needs to be aware of this public health problem. The mental issues which
occur in adolescence lead to problems throughout their life, considering that the state recorded
1,765 suicides in New York in 2022 (NAMI, 2025). Some of the young people who had fewer
pre-pandemic symptoms experienced greater changes because of the pandemic, thereby
underscoring the magnitude of the community disruption. Tackling this problem through
evidence-based programs will not only promote health equity but also reduce long-term costs
and build community resilience to future challenges (Shek, 2025).
D628: Public Health Graduate Capstone
Task 1: Capstone Literature Review
, 2
Identified Community and Public Health Issue
A1: Community and Public Health Issue
My chosen community for the project is New York State, where I reside. The adolescents
and emerging adults in New York have high mental health risks, such as anxiety, depression, and
suicidal thoughts, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More than 3.27 million adults in
New York suffer from a mental health issue, and 272,000 adolescents suffer from a major
depressive episode every year. Around 170,000 adolescents in New York have serious suicide
attempts every year (NAMI, 2025). A study by De France et al. (2022) indicated that adolescents
in New York exhibited significantly elevated levels of anxiety and depression during the
pandemic compared to pre-pandemic trends. The large and diverse population of the state, which
includes cities like New York City, is still currently dealing with disruptions caused by the
pandemic.
Social and economic factors play an important role in the public health problem. Over 3.6
million residents of New York lack adequate access to mental health care providers, and many
adults do not seek treatment due to cost constraints (NAMI, 2025). In terms of effects on young
people, it is evident that pandemic lifestyle factors are a strong predictor of depression and
emotion dysregulation, which are different for males and females in how financial stress and fear
of the virus (De France et al., 2022). Positive psychology characteristics and family resilience
can help mitigate the impact of these issues; however, fewer studies focus on these protective
factors than on morbidity. Economic uncertainty and social alienation continue to contribute to
youth's vulnerabilities (Shek, 2025).
New York needs to be aware of this public health problem. The mental issues which
occur in adolescence lead to problems throughout their life, considering that the state recorded
1,765 suicides in New York in 2022 (NAMI, 2025). Some of the young people who had fewer
pre-pandemic symptoms experienced greater changes because of the pandemic, thereby
underscoring the magnitude of the community disruption. Tackling this problem through
evidence-based programs will not only promote health equity but also reduce long-term costs
and build community resilience to future challenges (Shek, 2025).
