Understanding Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Behavioral health —Time to Move Beyond Simplistic Measures and Cross-sectional Data

Income inequality has steadily increased over the past several decades [1]. Along with the growing wealth gap, we have also seen rising alcohol and drug use disorders, worsening mental health symptoms, and increasing deaths due to drug overdose and suicide [1 –4]. Adolescents have not been spared from this mental health crisis; suicide is now the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the U.S., and deaths due to drug overdose are also increasing [5,6]. These alarming trends have only escalated further with the COVID-19 pandemic [7].
Source: Journal of Adolescent Health - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research