Your neighborhood's Civic Association has asked you to talk to a group of parents who have expressed their concerns about leaving their teenagers home alone after school while the parents are still at work. You have been asked to address whether this is a serious issue and, if so, how parents can minimize these problems without having to give up their jobs. The Civic Association leaders have also asked you to discuss the quality of the research that has been done in this area. What do you tell the parents?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Strong answers will note the following: Most studies of self-care youths show few differences between these youngsters and their peers in regard to psychological development, school achievement, and self-concept. However, several studies suggest that, compared to young people who are supervised after school by adults, those who are in self-care are more socially isolated, more depressed, and more likely to have school problems. The most vulnerable adolescents are those with friends who like to party and use drugs and those adolescents who are susceptible to peer pressure and, by far, the greatest risk is to children living in unsafe neighborhoods. The best way to sidestep the problems is for parents to use an authoritative parenting style and to monitor their children's behavior and activities by providing clear instructions to their youngsters about the activities they should engage in, having the children check in with an adult as soon as they get home, and teaching them how to handle emergencies. Adolescents who go straight home after school are far less likely to engage in problem behavior than are their peers who go to a friend's house unsupervised or who just hang out. The primary limitations of the research in this area are that not all self-care youth are alike and not all parents interact with their children in the same way, although there are rather consistent findings that indicate that spending free time with peers in unstructured activities in the absence of adult supervision is associated with increased problem behavior.

Key Points:

a) Most research shows little difference between self-care youth and those who are supervised after school.

b) Self-care youth may be at increased risk for social isolation, depression, problem behavior, greater likelihood of being sexually active at earlier ages, and greater probability of using drugs and alcohol.

c) Most vulnerable are those with friends who like to party and use drugs, those who are susceptible to peer pressure, and those who live in unsafe neighborhoods.

d) Protective factors include authoritative parenting, monitoring children's behavior and activities, providing clear instructions about expected activities, having children check in with adults when they get home, and teaching the youngsters how to handle emergencies.

e) Limitations of the research: not all self-care children are alike and not all parents interact with their children in the same way.

f) Consistent findings indicate spending free time with peers in unstructured activities in the absence of adult supervision is associated with increased problem behavior.