Affluent Teens and Mental Health
I just read a very interesting article in the January 2009 Monitor published by the American Psychological Association. They published an article discussing the latest research on the mental health of affluent teens. More and more research is suggesting that teens from affluent homes (household incomes greater than $120,000 per year) report higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse than teens from other socioeconmic groups (Suniya Luthar, Ph.D. of Columbia University did the research). It is proposed that a number of issues contribute to these statistics including the increased emphasis on materialism and the outer self instead of what's on the inside. This is fueled in part by media's glamorization of wealth, material possessions, and our obsession with celebrities. Our kids are also growing up in a culture that is "all about me", which creates an unhealthy level focus and preoccupation on themselves. Related to this is an enormous pressure to be perfect and to live up to very unrealistic expectations from the larger world. The emerging research is linking these issues as the root causes of many of these adolescents' mental health concerns. Although these issues impact teens from all socioeconomic levels, I would imagine that affluent kids might be differentially impacted by the pressure to maintain the image of the family as successful and problem-free. The article was interesting to me in that there is a lot of research and writing about the impact of poverty of child mental health, but clearly there can also be some negative consequences associated with privilege. In the article, parents are encouraged to involve teens in volunteer work, service learning and activities that help them develop themselves internally and interpersonally. I whole heartedly agree with this.
