Perception isn’t just an Illusion

 By: Catherine Blanchard

Adolescence is a time of growth and self-discovery, but often this can be stifled by mental health problems and substance abuse. In a recent study, researchers found that adolescent’s perception of their socioeconomic ranking among their peers could predict their future mental health and substance use. In this longitudinal study, researchers observed how adolescents: viewed their own social status as compared to others, answered personal questions relating to mental health, and participated in different substance use (Russell & Odgers 2020). Overall, it was found that adolescent’s own perception of their state of life could predict these future problems.

References

Russell, M. A., & Odgers, C. L. (2020). Adolescents’ Subjective Social Status Predicts Day‐to‐Day Mental Health and Future Substance Use. Journal of Research on Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell), 30, 532–544. doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/jora.12496

Image: https://www.talkspace.com/blog/5-ways-improve-body-image-confidence-mental-health/

Educational Expectations Improve Achievement

 By: Hunter Doiron

When I was in high school, I was expected to go to college by others and myself. A recent study in Sweden looked at how adolescent and parent expectations could benefit the educational attainment for the adolescent. Educational attainment means looking at what level of schooling the adolescent is expected to complete. They surveyed students and parents asking them how far they expected the adolescent to go in their education. They found that higher expectations meant higher educational achievement for the adolescent. As this study shows, healthy and achievable expectations can encourage adolescents in their pursuit for achievement.

References

Almroth, M., László, K. D., Kosidou, K., & Galanti, M. R. (2020). Individual and familial

factors predict formation and improvement of adolescents’ academic expectations: A longitudinal study in Sweden. PloS One, 15(2), e0229505. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0229505

Steinberg, Laurence D. Adolescence. McGraw-Hill Education, 2020.

For Image:

“My Kid Is Going to College - A Guide for Parents.” FamilyApp, 15 Oct. 2020, familyapp.com/guide-                parents-college/.

The More The Merrier... Literally

    By A. Bieri

    The way an adolescent spends their leisure time or “down time” plays an important role on the way they develop mentally.  Researchers from the National Institute of Public Health (2020) preformed a study on a group of about 2,500 adolescents with the aim of learning if the amount of leisure activities that an adolescent engages in will have an effect on mental health outcomes and the usage of substances.  During their studies, it was found that the more activities that an adolescent participates in, the less likely the individual is to develop mental health issues, where as those who engage in little to no leisure activities are more likely to have a declining mental health and at risk of using substances (Santini, 2020).  Activities such as athletics, computer games, reading books, and other hobbies have significant effects on the developing mind of an adolescent which is important because it paves a way for the sort of adult that adolescent will be one day.

Santini, Z., Meilstrup, C., Hinrichsen, C., Nielsen, L., Koyanagi, A., Koushede, V., Ekholm, O., Madsen, K. (2020) Associations between multiple leisure activities, mental health and substance use among adolescents in Denmark: A nationwide cross-sectional study. Behavioral Neuroscience. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.franu.edu:2048/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.593340

The Future Is Bright (Mostly): How Anxiety Shapes Teens' Perceptions About Their Futures

 By Taylor Decuir  

    Most teens imagine bright futures; however, for teens with anxiety, this is harder. Ramsgaard et al. (2019) investigated the differences in how anxious teens versus teens without anxiety describe their past, future, and cultural expectations. One hundred and sixty-nine teens were instructed to write about their past, future, and how these events were shaped by cultural expectations of life experiences. While anxious teens still envisioned bright futures, when compared to peers, their narratives contained fewer details of positive social support. Their narratives also reflected the limitations and struggles of their current lives, suggesting that they believed anxiety would predict their quality of life.

References

Beaumont, M. (2018). [Teen girl contemplating future] [Photograph]. Milton Accountant. http://www.miltonaccountant.com/ 4-tips -achieving -positive-money-mindset/

Ramsgaard, S., Bohn, A., & Thastrum, M. (2019). Past and future life stories in adolescents with anxiety disorder: Comparison with community controls. Memory, 27(7), 998-1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2019.159566