Born on Third Base

"Forty percent of American high school students now report ongoing feelings of sadness or hopelessness-an alarming increase from 30 percent a decade ago. While public concern has mainly focused on disadvantaged youth, there's a group quietly suffering that challenges our assumptions: affluent teenagers and young adults. Research spanning 20 years shows that upper-middle-class adolescents have rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse similar to their less privileged peers."

"Money provides safety nets, elite tutors, and access to health care. It should also provide peace of mind. Instead, wealthy teenagers often report higher levels of anxiety, depression, and substance use than the national averages. This paradox seems absurd-like discovering lottery winners are more miserable than others. But late psychologist and Columbia University researcher Suniya Luthar dedicated decades to studying this phenomenon. Upper-middle-class teens, especially girls, experience significant distress linked to relentless achievement pressure and the constant busyness imposed by their parents."

Forty percent of American high school students now report ongoing feelings of sadness or hopelessness, up from 30 percent a decade earlier. Affluent adolescents exhibit rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse comparable to less-privileged peers, despite material security. Money provides safety nets, elite tutors, and health care but often fails to deliver peace of mind. Relentless achievement pressures, constant busyness, and unstated expectations for exceptional grades and elite college admission contribute to distress. Wealth removes material scarcity while creating emotional scarcity characterized by conditional love and approval. Nepotism recipients face lasting credibility stigma, and advantages can become constraints when equated with self-worth.

Read at Psychology Today