« Study indicates 93 percent of young adults may not receive necessary treatment for alcohol, drug use | Main | Consumer advocates urge lawmakers to guarantee comprehensive coverage in healthcare overhaul »
July 27, 2009
Fatalism among teenagers may lead to uptick in risky behaviors, survey reveals
The AP (6/29) reports that, according to a study published in the July issue of Pediatrics, "Nearly 15 percent of teenagers think they are going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts, and other unsafe behavior," a finding that "challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they are invulnerable to harm."
Yet, after surveying some 20,000 adolescents, University of Minnesota investigators noted that "teens who thought they would die early were seven times more likely than optimistic teens to be subsequently diagnosed with AIDS," and they were also "more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights resulting in serious injuries," behaviors that "threaten to turn their fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Posted by admin at July 27, 2009 04:37 PM