Some young people's expectations that they will not live long, healthy lives may actually foreshadow such outcomes.
New research published August 1 in the open access journal PLOS ONE reports that, for American teens, the expectation of death before the age of 35 predicted increased risk behaviors including substance abuse and suicide attempts later in life and a doubling to tripling of mortality rates in young adulthood.
The researchers, led by Quynh Nguyen of Northeastern University in Boston, found that one in seven participants in grades 7 to 12 reported perceiving a 50-50 chance or less of surviving to age 35. Upon follow-up interviews over a decade later, the researchers found that low expectations of longevity at young ages predicted increased suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts as well as heavy drinking, smoking, and use of illicit substances later in life relative to their peers who were almost certain they would live to age 35.
"The association between early survival expectations and detrimental outcomes suggests that monitoring survival expectations may be useful for identifying at-risk youth," the authors state.
Have something to say about this article? Leave your comment via Facebook below!
Recently by Jim Liebelt
- The Web Blasts Past One Billion WebsitesFriday, September 19, 2014
- What's Hot? 09/19/14Friday, September 19, 2014
- Destiny Sales Fall Short of the HypeThursday, September 18, 2014
- Focus On Dangers of Caffeine Powder Is IncreasingWednesday, September 17, 2014
- Gameplay Broadcasting May Be the New Big Thing in Streaming EntertainmentTuesday, September 16, 2014
Recently on Crosswalk Blogs
Add Crosswalk.com content to your siteBrowse available content