Mental Health

Question:

What is the biggest peer pressure problem that adolescents face?

Answer:

This broad question can be considered in a few different ways. It is important to distinguish adolescents as a group from an individual adolescent.

In varying degrees, the first case may have at least four features, including a need to conform or "fit in," academic work, the relationship with the adolescent's parents, and romantic attraction. How each adolescent fares is specifically related to how he or she views "pressure." For example, one may feel the importance of having the "right" clothes, electronic devices, and other material objects. Another adolescent may have no such concerns. Rather, this adolescent may face peer pressure related to limited resources, such as money, safety, and housing. 

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Response by:

Ram Chandran Kalyanam, MD Assistant Professor Department of Psychiatry College of Medicine OSU Harding Hospital The Ohio State University