![]() We describe insights on the types of problems documented among teens in relatively affluent communities and explore reasons for their vulnerability. Youth in poverty are widely recognized as being “at risk,” but increasingly, significant problems have been seen at the other end of the socioeconomic continuum. This paper is about a counterintuitive notion: that upper-middle class youth, who are en route to the most prestigious universities and well-paying careers in America, are more likely to be more troubled than their middle-class counterparts. The paper concludes with suggestions for interventions at multiple levels, targeting youth, parents, educators, as well as policymakers, toward reducing pressures and maximizing positive adaptation among “privileged but pressured” youth and their families. We then discuss issues that warrant attention in future research. All of these pathways are considered within the context of broad, exosystemic mores: the pervasive emphasis, in contemporary American culture, on maximizing personal status, and how this can threaten the well-being of individuals and of communities. In considering possible reasons for elevated maladjustment, we appraise multiple pathways, including aspects of family dynamics, peer norms, pressures at schools, and policies in higher education. Extant data on these problems are reviewed with attention to gender-specific patterns, presenting quantitative developmental research findings along with relevant evidence across other disciplines. These youngsters are statistically more likely than normative samples to show serious disturbance across several domains including drug and alcohol use, as well as internalizing and externalizing problems. Learn more by exploring our interactive calculator.We review evidence on a group recently identified as “at risk,” that is, youth in upwardly mobile, upper-middle class community contexts. ![]() ![]() There’s a lot more we could say about how the cost of living depends entirely on where you live. It’s perfectly fine to slip into the middle class. That means it’s harder for well-off people to provide the same standard of living the more children they have, because, well, it’s so expensive.Īll of which goes to show the dangers of “keeping up with the Joneses.” If you’re in the upper-income range and you and your spouse decide to have a second child, you don’t have to go out and earn another $29,000 just to stay in the same income range. The amount jumps another $21,000 to $152,092 for households of 3, and an eye-popping $181,496 for a family of 4. A single adult at the low end of the upper-income range making $103,200 would need to make $131,078 as a household of 2 people to stay at the same level. The gap between middle- and upper-income households grows the more people join a household. The same thing happens at the opposite end of the income spectrum. In other words, having a second child means you need to earn about $10,000 more just to stay at the same level, much less climb higher. And for two breadwinners and a pair of kids, the level goes even further up to $60,499. For a household of 3 people, it goes higher to $50,697. Having a child or getting married raises the bar to middle class entry to $43,693. Regardless, our visualization demonstrates that adding more people to your household increases the amount you need to earn to enjoy the same standard of living. Does the college grad who makes six figures but lives in a big city with $100,000 of student loan debt feel like he or she is in the upper class? What about the single adult making $90,000 in West Virginia, where the cost of living is cheap? Doesn’t that qualify as an “upper income”? It all depends on the cost of living for where you live in particular. In reality, much of this depends on where you live and how much debt you’re paying off. Anyone earning under $34,400 is considered in the lower income range, and anyone making over $103,200 is in the upper class. Things are relatively simple for single working adults with no children. And in fact, the size of your family is directly correlated with how much you need to earn to stay afloat. We plotted family size against the income range required to be in the lower, middle and upper classes, letting you easily see how much money people need to make to be at opposite ends of the income spectrum. It turns out household size is a major determiner of status in the lower, middle and upper classes. You probably think you are, according to new research from the Pew Research Center, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re right.
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