How Are Our Teens Coping Today? Do We Have More At-Risk Teens?
Imagine if you could enter the minds of 30,000 adolescents ages 12-17 years from all over British Columbia and ask them personal questions such as:
When did you first have sex?
Have you tried tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs?
How would you describe your sexual identity?
How would you assess your mental health? Have you ever self-harmed?
These are just some of the questions that the McCreary Centre asks adolescents all over the province every five years. The most current results are from 2013 and they compare these answers to the answers that were given in 2008 and 2003.
You can access the very detailed and very interesting downloadable pdf summary and the abbreviated power point summary here.
There’s good news, bad news and need-to-know information about protective factors (this applies to families with toddlers too).
The Good News About Teens Today
You’ll be happy to hear that teens are waiting longer to try drinking, drugs and have sex. (You may wish to read my previous article, The Best Way to Reduce the Risk of Drug and Alcohol Use in Teens)
Teens today are also more likely to engage in injury prevention behaviours such as wearing seat-belts, and not drinking and driving.
They are less likely to have had a sexually transmitted infection, a teen pregnancy or caused a pregnancy.
A smaller percentage reported serious injuries.
Less youth drank pop or energy drinks.
More youth ate breakfast.
A higher percentage are using a condom.
Dating violence has decreased.
School safety has increased.
Cyberbullying has decreased.
The Concerning News About At-Risk Teens Today
Suicidal thoughts for females have increased to 17% and 9% for attempted suicide, whereas suicidal thoughts have decreased for males (8%) and attempts were the same for males in 2013 as in 2008 (3%).
Exercise participation has decreased.
Males and females reported an increase in teasing/bullying.
Obesity rates have increased.
Participation in organized sports, informal sports, dance and aerobics decreased.
Students aged 14 and older were more likely in 2013 than in 2008 to report extreme levels of despair to the point where they could not function.
Some of the mental health questions in the 2013 questionnaire were new and we will have to wait until 2018 to see the comparisons but we do know that 7% of males and 4% of females reported having ADHD. 13% of females and 4% of males reported having anxiety, and 13% of females and 5% of males reported having depression.
Another new question was in regards to sleep. (It is recommended that teens get 8.5 – 9 hours of sleep/night.) 27% of males and 21% of females said they slept for 9 hours or more. As teens got older, they slept less.
What Are The Protective Factors to Decrease The Number of At-Risk Teens?
- Family relationships
- Caring adults outside of the family
- Someone to turn to for help
- School connectedness
- Peer relationships
- Good nutrition
- Feeling engaged and valued
- Positive future aspirations
- Stable home
- 9+ hours of sleep
- Neighbourhood safety
- Community connectedness
- Cultural connectedness
I recommend reading the entire pdf for a more in-depth summary of the results.
It’s encouraging to see that teens are waiting longer before engaging in risky behaviours such as drugs, alcohol and sex. I believe this is because our generation has begun this conversation with our children from a young age and therefore, when they are teenagers, our kids are more comfortable talking to us about these topics and we are more comfortable bringing up these concerns with them.
It is concerning to see that bullying/teasing and mental health concerns are on the rise. This highlights the importance of being aware of our children’s coping levels, mental health, and peer relationships and having frequent discussions with them. It is positive to see a list of factors that we can try to enhance to increase our children’s sense of well-being. The survey doesn’t ask how many dinners per week adolescents eat with their family, but we know from other research studies that the more a family eats dinner together, the better the well-being of the child.
There are a few parent education evenings coming up that address some of these issues, and are listed below. There’s also one space left in my next round of self-empowerment groups for 10-12 year olds (see information below).
Warmly,
Parent Education Evenings:
- Wednesday, November 9th, 7-8pm, I will be presenting at Montroyal Elementary in North Vancouver on:
A Parent’s Guide to Playground Conflict Resolution and Friendship Concerns. Montroyal Elementary has kindly opened this up to all parents on the North Shore. There is no charge but they would highly recommend that you register by clicking on the link in this flyer. Child minding is also available at this event for $5.
- Wednesday, November 23rd, 7-9pm, Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
What You Need to Know About Fentanyl – a forum for parents and youth. This event is free but registration is required by clicking here.
- Wednesday, December 7th, 7pm, Kay Meek Theatre, West Vancouver
Adolescent Mental Health with Dr. Stan Kutcher, Professor of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University – more details to be announced soon
Sharon’s Self-Empowerment Group – starting this Thursday, November 10th, 2016. There is one space left for a 10-12 year old boy or girl. In this small group, we will meet for six weeks from 4:45-5:30pm (and then parents will meet from 5:30-5:45pm to hear a summary each week) and discuss social dynamics, communication styles, perspective taking, self-regulation, optimism vs. pessimism, and gratitude. For more information and to register, please click here and go to “upcoming groups/events” and scroll down.
PS. Like what you’re reading? If you’d like to receive my free cheat sheet on the 5 Dos and Don’ts of Handling Challenging Behaviour, please go to www.SharonSelby.com and you’ll find it under my video.
5 Tips for Handling Challenging Behaviours
Want to Connect?
Subscribe now to receive free weekly parenting tips and inspiration.
