4 Troubled Teens Blog

The phrase "at-risk" usually conjures images of inner city environments; kids who grow up in poor or broken homes and turn to risky behavior in attempts to find acceptance and belonging. But recent studies have shown that the face of at-risk kids is changing and their geographic locations are shifting.

"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

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Though research have proved otherwise for years, many people still associate drug and alcohol abuse, and other extreme coping mechanisms like cutting, among teens with inner city or poorer neighborhoods. The reality is that suburban kids are often at higher risk because they have the money (given generously by parents who aren't around very much) and they have the free time.

"Many a PTA is YES' catchment area, which covers Plainedge, Farmingdale and the Massapequas, has gotten onboard with this reality that even clean-faced, unsuspected kids can be in a line of fire and, as consequence, opening fire on others. But there's still some convincing to do; sometimes during teacher training, the response is 'kind of like, "Uh, that doesnt happen here."'"

Organizations like YES, which stands for Youth Environmental Services, seek to help both parents and teachers understand that geographic location and socio-economic status don't protect kids from substance abuse, emotional or psychological challenges. Read more at Newsday.com.

Find out current statistics on teenage drug addiction and teen substance abuse at Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base.

Labels: suburban_teens, demographics, training

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