Ann Hagell (Ed.): Changing Adolescence: Social Trends and Mental Health

Excerpt

In Changing Adolescence Social Trends and Mental Health, Ann Hagell and a team of researchers attempt to explain changes in British adolescents’ behavior since 1975. The research team brings together main findings from the Nuffield Foundation’s Changing Adolescence Programme and numerous other studies conducted during that period to examine possible determinants of the time’s trends in British adolescents’ emotional and behavioral health. Viewing mental health and behavior as indicators of society’s efforts in improving the well-being and life chances of children, the researchers take an interdisciplinary approach to find possible explanations. Specifically, Hagell and her colleagues are interested in explaining the historically high levels of emotional and behavioral problems in British adolescents in terms of social changes like adolescents’ stress, education, time usage, and many other topics. Confounding factors, a lack of relevant data, and an attempt at a multifaceted view of data make some conclusions difficult for the researchers. While they are not able to explain the trends completely due to the lack of relevant data, they do make several important observations by discussing noteworthy correlations and interesting relationships between key explanatory factors and trends in adolescents’ mental and behavioral problems. To compensate for areas where further research is needed, the book explicitly proposes questions, offers many ideas for research, and urges new research methodologies for studying British adolescents. …