Research indicates affluent youths are more likely than youths in general to display serious adjustment problems, including poor school grades, alcohol and drug use, delinquency, anxiety, and depression. What are the likely factors involved?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Despite their advanced education and great material wealth, affluent parents-those in prestigious and high-paying occupations-too often fail to engage in family interaction and parenting that promote favorable development. Poorly adjusted young people from affluent families, compared with their better-adjusted counterparts, report less emotional closeness, less supervision, and fewer serious consequences for misbehavior from their parents. As a group, wealthy parents are nearly as physically and emotionally unavailable to their youngsters as parents coping with serious financial strain. At the same time, these parents often make excessive demands for achievement and are critical when their children perform less than perfectly. Adolescents whose parents value their accomplishments more than their character are more likely to develop academic and emotional problems.