The Daily. Tuesday, July 6, 1999

National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth: transition into adolescence

Early adolescence is a period of transition for children. Often with the change into adolescence comes the task of dealing with increasingly complex decisions, pressures from peers as well as pressures of everyday life.

Released today are self-reported data for youth between the ages of 10 and 13 years from the second cycle conducted in 1996/97 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). These data, which come directly from the youth, provide their own distinct perspective on this period of transition. While data are also available for 10- and 11-year-olds, this release highlights findings based on a preliminary analysis of new information that has been collected from 12- and 13-year-olds.

Overall, the data indicate that most youth have a happy and positive outlook on life. Nevertheless, some are starting to report less socially acceptable behaviours, such as smoking, stealing and fighting. At this point, it is still too early to know whether these activities are part of an `experimental' phase or the indication of larger problems to come. However, these data do provide a strong starting point to follow the development of children through the many different stages of adolescence.

Overwhelming number of 12- and 13-year-olds report they are happy with their lives

According to the data collected from 12- and 13-year-olds in 1996/97, the vast majority (93%) reported that they were currently happy with the way things were in their lives. An overwhelming majority (95%) also indicated that their futures looked good.

These attitudes varied little by family type. For example, adolescents whose family structure changed from two parents in 1994/95 to one parent in 1996/97 still reported a very positive outlook, with 90% indicating that they were currently happy with their lives.

Similarly, 87% of those who went from a single-parent family in 1994/95 to a two-parent family in 1996/97 also reported being happy overall. Indeed, 89% of the youth living in single-parent families in both 1994/95 and 1996/97 reported being optimistic about their futures.

Note to readers The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), developed jointly by Human Resources Development Canada and Statistics Canada, is a comprehensive survey which follows the development of children in Canada and paints a picture of their lives. The survey monitors children's development and measures the incidence of various factors that influence this development, both positively and negatively. The first cycle of the NLSCY, conducted in late 1994 and early 1995, interviewed parents of approximately 23,000 children up to the age of 11. They gave information, not only about their children, schools and neighbourhoods, but also about themselves and their families. The collection of self-reported data from approximately 3,400 children aged 10 and 11 was another important component of the 1994/95 survey. The children were asked information about themselves and on various aspects of their lives. These data were unique in that they came directly from the child, not from his or her parents. The second cycle of the NLSCY, carried out in 1996 and 1997, surveyed the same children, who were now between 2 and 13 years of age. Again, self-reported data was collected for youths between the ages of 10 and 13. This release will focus on information provided by the 12- and 13-year-olds. The NLSCY will continue to collect information on these same youth every two years as they move through adolescence into adulthood. These data will provide important insights into a number of issues facing adolescents and how they deal with these issues. Statistics Canada would like to thank the children, parents, teachers and school officials who are participating in the NLSCY. Without their collaboration, this unprecedented source of insight into child development in Canada could not exist.

Adolescents test the rules - at least once

Early adolescence is a time when children begin trying to take charge of their own lives. Occasionally they cross the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and take risks that are often seen as an adolescent's expression of this newly found autonomy. This is part of growing up and, within reasonable limits, can be considered normal. Data from the NLSCY show that adolescents are at a point where they are starting to test the rules and push boundaries.

Based on several different questions about behaviours and activities, close to a third (31%) of adolescents reported that at least once within the past 12 months, they stole something from a store or school or took money from their parents without permission. About 36% of boys reported they did this, compared with 27% of girls.

More than four in 10 adolescents (41%) reported having threatened to beat someone up or having been in a fight, but with no serious injuries. Far fewer adolescents (6%) reported they were in a fight in which there were injuries that needed care. About 55% of boys reported having been in a fight, twice as high as the rate for girls (27%).

It is important to note that in the 1996/97 NLSCY data, while many adolescents reported experimenting with risk-taking behaviours within the past 12 months, most did so only once or twice. Less than 10% of those who reported stealing within the 12-month period did so three times or more. Of the adolescents who took part in fights that did not result in injuries, slightly more than 10% fought three times or more.

Research over time has indicated that one of the potential risk factors for delinquency and recidivism among young people is early and diverse misbehaviour, such as aggressive behaviour. A number of questions on behaviour were asked of 10- and 11-year-olds in 1994/95. These questions were again put to the same youth in 1996/97 when they were two years older.

Based on preliminary analysis, there appears to be a fair amount of change in reports of aggressive behaviour over the two-year period (see Definitions). This seems to suggest that for most young people aggression may be a passing phase of adolescence as opposed to a potential long-term problem. There were instances, however, where youth reported aggressive tendencies in both years. In fact, children who reported high levels of physically aggressive behaviour when they were 10- or 11-years-old were almost four times more likely than those reporting no problems to indicate a potential problem with such misbehaviour when they were 12 or 13 years of age.

A similar ratio was found for youth who reported indirect aggression (the rate was three times higher if the behavior was reported at age 10 or 11). While research has suggested links between an individual's aggressive behaviour in younger years and delinquent outcomes in adolescence, further detailed analysis is necessary to better understand the relationship between various factors.

Definitions The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) assesses a number of types of behavioural problems in children and adolescents. Each type of behavioural problem is assessed through a series of questions. Responses are combined into a scale for each individual and for each problem type. A youth was considered to have a "problem" if he or she scored in the highest 10% of the scale. Physical aggression - measured by questions on subjects such as fighting, threatening others and bullying. Indirect aggression - measured by questions on how children handle their anger towards others. Conduct disorder - aggression, either physical or indirect, and property offences. Depression - measured by questions on feelings of depression, crying spells, loss of appetite, and loss of optimism about the future. Anxiety - measured by questions on whether the youth was unhappy, anxious or worried. Self-esteem - measured by four questions asking the youth their opinion on whether they liked the way they were or liked things about themselves. Group that did risky things The youth were asked twenty-nine questions to assess their involvement in a number of generally unacceptable activities. For example, some of these activities included staying out all night without permission, running away from home, being questioned by the police, stealing, fighting, vandalism, carrying a knife, using drugs and arson. The youths were then asked whether they had been a part of a group that had done bad or risky things within the past year. In the next cycle of data collection for 14- and 15-year-olds, this question has been made even more specific to ask about their involvement in a group that broke the law.

Peers play a strong influential role

Based on the first analysis of peer relationships, it is clear that friends and associates heavily influence an adolescent's actions. For example, approximately one adolescent in seven (15%) reported belonging to a group that "did risky things" (see Definitions). Girls were as likely as boys to be part of such a group.

Those adolescents who considered themselves to be part of such a group were far more likely - in some instances six or seven times more likely - to report risk-taking behaviours. For example, these youths were much more likely to report disorderly conduct, skipping school at least once, attaching low importance to school marks, and starting smoking. They were also much more prone to report three or more instances each of stealing and fighting.

However, given the relatively small number of multiple risk-takers (i.e., those who had done something `risky' three times or more) and the young age of the respondents, it is too early to know which behaviours lead to a long-term negative outcome and what is simply part of a passing phase of "experimentation".

Peer influence also plays a role in smoking habits

Data from the NLSCY, as from other sources, indicate that many adolescents start to smoke at the age of 12 or 13. In 1994/95, when these youths were 10 or 11, the numbers who were smoking were too few to report. By 1996/97, more than 10% reported that they were smoking, with 6% doing so at least once or twice a week.

As with adolescents who participated in other risky activities, peer influence appears to play an important role for those who reported that they had started smoking. The vast majority (84%) of the adolescents who reported smoking also said they had three or more friends who were smoking. By contrast, only one-quarter of non-smoking adolescents (26%) reported having three or more friends who smoked.

While parents' smoking behaviour, particularly that of the mother, seems to be linked to the adolescent's decision to smoke, it is a far less significant factor than the influence of peers. The role of parents' previous smoking habits was compared with peer influence, taking into account socio-economic status and the type of family. With all else being equal, adolescents who had three or more friends who smoked were more than five times more likely to smoke, while those who reported being part of a group that "did risky things" were 5.5 times more likely to smoke. In contrast, children in families where the mother smoked in 1994/95 were about 1.5 times more likely to smoke in 1996/97.

While there seems to be a relationship between youths who reported being in a group that "did risky things" and those who smoked, only half of all youth who reported smoking in 1996/97 also reported that they were in a group that "did risky things" (5%).

Interesting relations also emerged with respect to the characteristics of children who reported that they started to smoke. For example, children who smoked were much more likely to report physically aggressive behaviours than those who did not. They were also much more likely to report difficult relations with parents, attaching low importance to school marks, skipping school and more frequent participation in risky behaviours such as stealing and fighting.

While youths are generally happy with their lives, some are having difficulty

Growing responsibility and increasingly complex decisions often mark the transition into adolescence and eventually adulthood. These changes can sometimes leave young people feeling they cannot cope.

The NLSCY found that in 1996/97 almost 7% or about 44,000 of 12- and 13-year-olds reported that they had seriously considered suicide in the preceding 12 months. The data also indicate a gap between the sexes, with almost twice as many girls (8.4%) as boys (4.6%) reporting serious suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months.

Depression can play a large role in triggering suicidal thoughts. However, some youth may not recognize their emotional state as depression. In the NLSCY, youths were asked questions to provide an indication of their possible levels of depression, anxiety and self-esteem. They were identified as having one of these problems if they ranked in the top 10% in one of these measures.

Results from the survey show a strong relationship between the indication of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem and reports of suicidal thoughts. Those youths indicating higher levels of depression were seven times more likely than other youths to have seriously considered suicide. For example, 29% of youths who ranked in the top 10% on the depression scale reported that they had seriously considered suicide within the past 12 months, compared with only 4% of those not in the top 10%. Adolescents were also five times more likely to have seriously considered suicide if they indicated higher levels of anxiety (25% versus 5%).

Family characteristics such as family conflict also play an important role in triggering suicidal thoughts. For example, children who were more likely to consider suicide were also more likely to report frequent or consistent problems in relations with their parents.

Even after accounting for a number of factors such as the child's sex, family type, change of school, family income and the presence of depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem, adolescents who reported having a difficult relationship with one or both of their parents were 5.5 times more likely to have seriously considered suicide in the preceding year. These are early results from the survey and much more analysis will have to be done to better understand how these variables interact.

The information provided by adolescents in the NLSCY adds a new dimension to the understanding of events in their lives. As information is gathered on these children in years to come, this survey will allow us to see where these events lead in the long-term. This should help us better understand what factors lead young people towards or away from the path of healthy development.

For more information

While this report has focused on selected information from 12- and 13-year-olds, also available at this time are self-reported data from 10- and 11-year-olds, data provided by teachers and principals, results from school testing of reading comprehension and information on child care, literacy and activities. An article on the education component of the NLSCY will be released in the fall of 1999.

For more information about the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, including information regarding survey concepts, methods and data quality, contact Sylvie Michaud (613-951-9482; michsyl@statcan.gc.ca) or Tracey Leesti (613-951-5693; tracey.leesti@statcan.gc.ca), Statistics Canada or Allan Zeesman (613-946-5713; allan.zeesman@spg.org), Human Resources Development Canada.

Data are also available through custom tabulations. For more information about tabulations and other products and services, contact Tamara Knighton (613-951-7326; fax: 613-951-7333), Special Surveys Division.