A Best-Kept Secret of Your Teen: They Really Do Care What You Think, Simmons College S...( Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachuse...),Health

Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts Foundation Sponsors 'Family Matters' Study

BOSTON, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It could be one of the best-kept secrets of the surly adolescent: it may look as if they're turning away from their family in favor of their friends, but what their family thinks matters to them. A lot.

A study led by Simmons School of Social Work Professor Helen Reinherz shows that it is of paramount importance to adolescents that they feel valued by their family, and is an important factor in their optimal mental health. Knowing that their family values their opinions promotes an adolescent's self-esteem, and reduces the risk for major depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health maladjustments, according to the study.

The study also shows that adolescents who believe that they can rely on family members for advice, or who have parents or siblings they can view as confidants, have significantly increased chances for good academic achievement and overall healthy social and psychological adjustment.

The findings were recently reported in the Simmons College study "Family Matters," sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts Foundation, which commissioned the data analysis to help social service agencies, community workers, parents, teachers and other caregivers understand some of the factors that can promote healthy adolescent development.

"The common belief is that the adolescent is turning away from the family -- that their peers suddenly become the major influence in their lives," Reinherz said. "But in reality, it is of paramount importance to most adolescents that they feel valued as a family member and that their opinions count.

"Families need to understand they are vitally important to the adolescent."

These are some of the findings from data that Reinherz and her research team collected over the past thirty years as part of the Simmons Longitudinal Study, one of the n
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