By MyFampal, Special for USDR
In a large study, MyFampal found that wealthy moms and younger moms expressed highest level of concern in their tween and teen’s emotions, moods and behaviors. However, moms’ concern is much less than MyFampal would predict assuming maternal concern mirrored the prevalence of DSM-IV disorders in teens.
Details
Greater household income = greater concern. A significantly greater proportion of moms in families with household income of $75K+ are concerned about their 10-17 year old’s’ emotions, moods and behaviors, compared with moms from households with lower income (p<0.001): More than 1 in 4 moms (28.4%) in households with income of $75K+ are concerned compared with 1 in 7 (13.1%) households with <$75K income. Overall rate of concern in moms is 14.5%
Younger moms = greater concern. Younger moms aged 35-44 years expressed greater concern than older moms (45+ years) although the difference only just reached statistical significance (p=0.05); The percentage of moms aged 35-44 years expressing concern was 17.4%, compared with 13.0% in older moms.
Study methods. New survey conducted by MyFampal on October 14-15, 2016. We asked 1333 moms, ‘Do any of the children aged 10-17 years in your family have emotions, moods or behaviors that concern you?’ Survey sent to moms aged 35-64 via Google Consumer Surveys (779 responses from women with children aged 10-17).
Discussion Points
The study was large (data from 779 moms was included). The prevalence of and DSM-IV disorders in US adolescents aged 13-17 (n=10 148) years has been estimated to be 40.3% at 12 months (Kessler 2012). The rate of mom concerns we found in this survey is approximately 1/3 the 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV disorders in teens (14.5% vs 40.3%). The significant increase in maternal concern in households with income >$75K in our survey reflects the increased risk of developing serious maladjustments in affluent youth described in earlier studies (Luthar 2013). So, can moms be too concerned? Maybe not.
More work needs to be done to help us understand why this is. For example:
- If moms only recognize a minority of emotional, mood and behavioral disorders in their teens, who is picking up the rest?
- Is the increased concern expressed by moms in wealthier families effecting affluent teens?
- Are older moms better able to handle concerning teen behaviors than younger moms?
MyFampal
MyFampal provides a free web-app for families with children aged 11-16, giving parents access to a selection of questionnaires used by psychologists to assess family functioning. The app analyzes questionnaire results to show parents where a family is strong and to highlight any areas where things may not be going as well. It also provides practical recommendations you can use to build on strengths or support development.
What Next?
- MyFampal is conducting a study of 2000 parents to explore family dynamics in more detail at www.howsmyfamily.com.
- MyFampal will seek insights from moms on Quora in the coming weeks to understand more.
SOURCE MyFampal
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