ABSTRACT
BARRIERS TO THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH
It is difficult to comprehend how the youth of one of the most affluent nations in the world can also be the most troubled. Today, within the context of the school and community, the self-defeating, self-destructive potential of youth is a growing threat to the welfare of a nation. The growing concern over suicide rates, substance abuse, violence, alienation, victimization and abuse, family dysfunction, truancy, and dropout rates continues to demonstrate that relationships between youth and adults and among youth peers are significantly strained.
