Better Parents Equals Healthier Teens

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Commentary

Earlier this year, the American Psychological Association (APA) issued a statement on the alarming state of adolescent mental health—a crisis that was occurring even before the COVID-19 pandemic and has only gotten worse since.

Citing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the APA wrote, “In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness—as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors—increased by about 40% among young people.”

Many factors have played a part in this increasing depression among America’s youth, but one of the primary ones that’s agreed upon across the board is family disruption—particularly through divorce—and the lack of connection with parents. Unfortunately, academic studies often just demand more funding for adolescent mental health services while never addressing the root cause of the problem: family breakdown and the need for children to have proper boundaries governing their lives.

Last month, the Institute for Family Studies issued an interesting report that provides further proof of the important role parents play in their child’s mental health. Jonathan Rothwell, who works for Gallup and is the author of the report, wrote: “The most important factor in the mental health of adolescent children is the quality of the relationship with their caregivers. This, in turn, is strongly related to parenting practices—with the best results coming from warm, responsive, and rule-bound, disciplined parenting.

“Even though there are biological and genetic risk-factors for every disease, even mental health conditions, years of research have established that parenting—and the parent-child relationship—is of paramount importance to the well-being and psychological functioning of adolescents.”

And who are the parents who provide such a healthy environment for their teenage children? Not rich parents with the financial resources to give a teenager everything they want but, instead, conservative parents who display affection and care for their children while administering proper discipline to keep them on track when needed.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Even former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, hardly a conservative by any means, recognizes the importance of providing children with proper boundaries.

“Our kids need a structure in their lives. And I say this as a father, and I’ve seen it with young men and women that come to my office, and we talk. They need a structure,” he said.

It’s often conservative parents who provide that structure, along with the institutions to which they belong, which are often churches and other strong civic associations in their communities. This structure provides a safe cocoon for many teenagers away from the pernicious influences of social media (which 51 percent of teenagers report takes up nearly five hours of their day, according to a Gallup survey), negative peer pressure, and a culture that tells them “if it feels good, just do it” or “you do you,” regardless of the consequences.

The Gallup Familial and Adolescent Survey 2023, which Mr. Rothwell cited, bears this out. According to the parents surveyed, more than 60 percent of very conservative and nearly 60 percent of conservative parents have a higher quality relationship with their adolescent children. Conversely, only 50 percent of liberal parents and approximately 55 percent of very liberal parents do.

But there’s also another factor at play: Adolescents whose parents have strong, healthy marriages—which provides them with stability and trust—are more likely to be emotionally healthy as well. Nearly 65 percent of married couples who have a strong relationship with their spouse report that they have good relationships with their teenagers, compared to a little more than 40 percent who don’t have a high-quality relationship with their marital partner.

So what’s the takeaway? Despite what the culture says, teenagers want a strong, loving relationship with their parents and a relationship that provides the guardrails they need to successfully navigate the minefields of adolescence. Secondly, “the kids aren’t alright” when their parents aren’t either. No amount of money or any government program can heal a troubled heart.

If values are “caught” and not “taught,” as it has been said, so is happiness and security. And it’s conservative homes, with their strong emphasis on the importance of faith and familial ties, that allow adolescents to prosper. That’s an important reminder to us all if we want to solve the teenage mental health crisis that our nation presently faces.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.