Affluent adolescents, depression, and drug use: the role of adults in their lives

Adolescence, Summer, 2005 by Kimber L. Bogard

> With the aim of further understanding the uniqueness of child development within an affluent context, future research with this population could: (1) Involve qualitative investigations to explore the relationship between depression and drug use, specifically why youth in this population reporting depressive symptomology are also using drugs; (2) investigate parent-child relationships, including how these relationships differ from parent-child relationships in less privileged families since youth in high income families report feeling less close to their parents than do youth in low- and middle-income families; (3) investigate social support networks, including potential barriers to assessing positive adult role models that have been shown to provide a buffer against negative outcomes in poor youth (e.g., Werner & Smith); (4) examine causal relationships between depression and seeking support through longitudinal investigation; and (5) explore the role that peers play throughout the pre-teen and adolescent years among affluent youth.