Sociocultural Trends Affecting the Prevalence of Adolescent Problems (From Psychosocial Disturbances in Young People: Challenges for Prevention, P 367-384, 1995, Michael Rutter, ed. - See NCJ-167699)

• NCJ Number: 167705
• Author(s): L N Robins
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter attempts to link concerns about the changing status of youth with evidence that secular and sociocultural changes in society give substance to the concerns.

Abstract

Research has examined what is unique about adolescence; discrepancies between what is known and prevailing views that suggest the public has a biased view of the status of youth; what explains whether an individual adolescent will experience a troubled or a successful phase of life; and what other issues should be studied in the near future. These issues contribute to a general impression that the status of youth is changing in the direction of greater stress and less confidence in the future. Possible explanations for this phenomenon include: (1) decline of occupational opportunities; (2) rising levels of material wants; (3) stagnation or decline of adolescents' health; (4) urbanization of society; (5) changing family structure; (6) the drug epidemic; (7) decline in pubertal age; and (8) ambiguity of expectations and responsibilities. References