The general well-being of British adolescents has been the topic of considerable debate in recent years, but too often this is based on myth rather than fact. Are today's young people more stressed, anxious, distressed or antisocial than they used to be? What does research evidence tell us about the adolescent experience today and how it has changed over time? And how do trends in adolescent well-being since the 1970s relate to changes in education, leisure, communities and family life in that time?
This unique volume brings together the main findings from the Nuffield Foundation's Changing Adolescence Programme and explores how social change may affect young people's behaviour, mental health and transitions toward adulthood. As well as critiquing research evidence, which will be of interest to a wide academic audience, the book will inform the wider debate on this subject among policy makers and service providers, voluntary organisations and campaign groups.
Foreword by Professor Sir Michael Rutter; Introduction~ Ann Hagell; Time trends in young people's emotional and behavioural problems, 1975-2005 Stephan Collishaw; Stress and mental health in adolescence: interrelationship and time trends ~ Ann Hagell, Seija Sandberg and Robert MacDonald; Trends in time adolescent time use in the United Kingdom ~ Ann Hagell, Stephen Peck, Nicole Zarrett, J. Ignacio Giménez-Nadal and Jennifer Symonds; Trends in parenting: can they help explain time trends in problem behaviour? ~ Frances Gardner, Stephan Collishaw, Barbara Maughan, Jacqueline Scott, Karen Schepman and Ann Hagell; Educational changes and possible links with adolescent well-being: 1970s to 2000s Ann Hagell, John Gray, Maurice Galton and Colleen McLaughlin; Trends in adolescent substance use, and their implications for understanding trends in mental health ~ Ann Hagell, Judith Aldridge, Petra Meier, Tim Millar, Jennifer Symonds and Michael Donmall; Some thoughts on the broader context: neighbourhoods and peers ~ Ann Hagell, Sarah Curtis, Shari Daya, Yasmin Khatib, Rachel Pain, Catherine Rothon, Stephen Stansfeld and Sara Fuller; Reflections and implications ~ Ann Hagell and Sharon Witherspoon
