One In Ten Jobless Young People 'Driven To Drugs Or Alcohol', Survey Finds

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 28 Jan 2010 - 13:00 PST

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Older teenagers and young adults who are out of work face poorer health and lower happiness, with one in 10 claiming that unemployment drove them to drugs or alcohol, according to new research.

A Princes Trust study, based on interviews with over 2,000 unemployed 16 to 25 year olds, also found out-of-work young people were more likely to feel ashamed, rejected and unloved. If the current economic downturn mirrors previous recessions these could become 'permanent psychological scars', the charity warned.

The survey also showed that one in four unemployed young people believed their joblessness had caused arguments with their parents or other family members and one in three felt down or depressed.

Leading economist Professor David Blanchflower said in the report:"Unemployment has a knock-on effect on a young person's self-esteem, their emotional stability and overall wellbeing. The longer the period a young person is unemployed for, the more likely they are to experience this psychological scarring.

"This means an unhappy and debilitated generation of young people who - as a result - becomes decreasingly likely to find work in the future."

Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Prince's Trust, said: "The implications of youth unemployment stretch beyond the dole queue. The emotional effects on young people are profound, long-term and can become irreversible. We must act now to prevent a lost generation of young people before it is too late.

"Young people bore the brunt of the recession last year, with one in five 16-to-24 year olds out of work today. The result is a generation of undiscovered skills and talents. We must invest in these young people, re-building their self-esteem, to ensure that today's unemployed do not become tomorrow's unemployable."

Source
DrugScope