Depression rises among teenage boys in Newfoundland and Labrador

Community Action, March 21, 2005

ST. JOHN'S -- Teenage boys and girls in Newfoundland are under increasing stress, according to a report on Project Teen.

The survey looked at the attitudes and concerns of 1,400 teens across the province. The report indicates that:

* 60 per cent of teens report never having enough time to get things done (higher than the 40 per cent reporting time management stress in a 1990 survey);

* 40 per cent reported having a friend who had severe depression;

* 20 percent said a close friend had attempted suicide;

* More than 30 percent said a close friend had experienced a drug or alcohol problem;

* 25 percent of 15, 16 and 17 year-olds say they are bothered by depression.

Project Teen Newfoundland and Labrador: A Comprehensive Survey, 2004 was conducted by Doreen Westera, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, Memorial University, for the Department of Youth Services, and will be used to help educators and others who work with adolescents to better understand teens. It compares the results of a 2000 survey of 1400 youths in Newfoundland and Labrador with one conducted in 1990.