ABSTRACT
While teens generally face the risk of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, greater challenges confront those who are poor and people of color. Research revealed that a key factor in adolescents’ adjustment to living in poor neighborhoods has been parents’ approach, with well adjusted impoverished teens receiving support from parents or other adults better equipped to develop coping strategies.
Many studies indicate teens’ vulnerability to racism, with the impact varied depending on their personal traits. Adolescents of color who belong to sexual minorities are particularly prone to depressive symptoms. Parents of color have varied strategies for their teens’ racial socialization, with one study detailing how Black and Latino mothers tended to use a distinctly different approach from their Chinese American counterparts.
A large survey of adolescent girls found that they are about as inclined as boys to believe having a career is more important than marrying and having children but much less likely to conclude that gender equality currently exists. Teens’ influences growing up affect their experiences, with racial affiliation, inclusion in sexual minorities, and sports participation linked to sexual vulnerability.
The chapter’s last topic involves so-called “disconnected youth” dealing with the significant challenge of imminent adulthood.
