"Recent research shows that the highest rates of emotional problems can be found among upper middle-class children, whose parents have high levels of education and income. Affluent pre-teens and teenagers rate the highest for depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse of any group of children in the United States."Affluent parents often place high expectations on their kids. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing. But when the expectations aren't coupled with encouragement and help, a teen or pre-teen can quickly become overwhelmed, and thoughts like "I'm not good enough" start entering his head. Sadly, research has found that, on average, parents spend less than 5 minutes a week engaged in meaningful conversation with their kids, while the kids spend over 1,600 minutes a week watching television. Parental involvement is key for this new segment of "at-risk" kids.
Labels: at_risk, affluence, suburban_teens
Posted By: Aspen Education Group