Children In Need

Today’s children are suffering an emotional crisis. In the United States, 1 in 10 children have a form of mental illness severe enough to cause impairment in daily functioning (Shaffer et al., 1996). Other studies estimate prevalence of pediatric mental illness at between 17% and 22 % of the population (Costello et al., 1996).

Eating disorders in adolescent girls have become a national epidemic. Binge drinking is all too common among teenagers. The use of heroin and crack cocaine among white adolescents has climbed 300% since 1970, and rose 1300% for African-American teenagers during that same period (Achenbach et al., 2003). The incidence of self-harm, suicide and violence against other youth is also on the rise. In 1990, the juvenile arrest rate for violent crime was 27% higher than in 1980 (Takanashi, 1993). During this same period, the juvenile suicide rate tripled (Children's Safety Network., 1991). Unfortunately, this epidemic is not uniquely American. The World Health Organization’s data suggest that by 2020, the number of children with psychiatric disorders will increase 50% globally, moving pediatric mental illness into the top five causes of mortality and disability among children (Department of Health and Human Services, 2001).

It is hard to pinpoint the reason for this rise in mental illness among the world’s youngest citizens. Industrialization, pollution, poverty and video games have all been linked to this alarming trend. Although sociologists examine the breakdown of the family and the moral fabric of society, psychologists are researching the child in his or her environment. Research indicates that the signs and symptoms of psychological problems begin very early in a child’s life.

Longitudinal studies have shown that half of preschool children labeled as disruptive and disobedient became delinquents in their teenage years (Offord et al., 1992). Canadian research supports these findings, showing that those 5 year olds who were rated highest in hostility and troublemaking had a higher incidence of criminal activity in adolescence (Bergeron et al., 1992). Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., author of Emotional Intelligence, suggests the consequences in adolescence for disruptive young boys are different from those of disobedient young girls. “Antisocial [adolescent] girls don’t get violent – they get pregnant” (Goleman, 1995, p. 237). Studies confirm this troubling trend. Forty-percent of girls who got into trouble with their teachers and broke rules in fourth grade were pregnant before graduation, a rate three times higher than the national average (Underwood et al., 1989).

If we are to help adolescents weather the storms of their childhood and teen years, we must look at the source of their problems. What causes the troublesome behavior in preschool that escalates to antisocial actions in adolescence? Daniel Goleman argues that in addition to genetic factors and environment, a child’s level of “social competence is predictive of [its] tendency towards depression” (Goleman, 1995, p. 240). Science supports this hypothesis. Gary Ladd, psychologist and developmental researcher at the University of Rochester (2000), found that children who do not achieve minimal social competence by age 6 have a high probability of being at risk for mental illness in adulthood. Social competence has been defined as “the ability to implement developmentally-appropriate behaviors that enhance one’s interpersonal relationships without causing harm to anyone” (Schneider, 1993, p. 19). Rubin et al. (1998) offer a similar definition: “the ability to achieve personal goals in social interaction while simultaneously maintaining positive relationships with others over time and across situations” (p. 645).


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