The assigned reading explains the patterns in teenage wellbeing, and unhealthy habits in British Columbia are discussed in this special study. It is the culmination of the McCreary Centre Society’s (MCS) 15-year joint efforts to provide information on which to base on a person’s province’s youth wellbeing policies and services. The survey findings indicate a significant level of consistency in most patterns and trends.
Over the course of a decade, the result has shown no significant or troubling changes in health or the occurrence of unhealthy behaviors. The progress in bettering youth wellbeing has been slow, and even those who are at high risk show exceptional resilience. Age and gender influence the incidence of violence in adolescence.
Boys report being in more fights than girls, but the percentage of boys who have been in a fight has decreased as compared to girls. In 2003, about 30 percent of early adolescents and only 22 percent of late adolescents were involved in a fight. Between 1992 and 2003, physical fighting decreased in each of the three stages of adolescent development (Tonkin et al., 2005).
Finally, adolescents are acutely aware of their limits, and when these boundaries are breached, they can become agitated. Children enjoy anonymity in their rooms, secrecy during professional interactions and protection from exploitation online or at work. The detection of physical or sexual assault on kids is one of the most powerful markers of danger to children’s welfare. In addition, mental health problems, particularly adolescent suicide in British Columbia, continue to be a significant concern. In 1992, 1998, and 2003, only 5% of students without chronic health issues or who had never been sexually assaulted reported attempting to take their lives (Tonkin et al., 2005). The percentage of suicide attempts was even higher and more complex between samples.
Reference
Tonkin, R. S., Murphy, A., Lee, Z., Saewyc, E., & The McCreary Centre Society. (2005). British Columbia youth health trends: A retrospective, 1992-2003. The McCreary Centre Society.