Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Vol. 4, No. 4, 1 9 75

A Differential Survey of the Problems of

Privileged and Underprivileged Adolescents

Juliet Harper 1'3 and John K. Collins 2

Received July 7, 1975

The problems o f adjustment during the midadolescent years were examined in 1298 privileged and underprivileged adolescents from the Sydney Metropolitan Area, Australia. Girls reported more problems than boys in all areas o f adjust- ment and underprivileged adolescents more problems than the privileged group; however, a significant interaction effect was also found. Whether high-income or low-income group, the overwhelming number o f problems were associated with educational adjustment and were interpreted as the reaction to pressures to achieve imposed on adolescents o f this age.

INTRODUCTION

Surveys of the literature show that three types of data have been used to detect difficulties experienced during the adolescent period of growth and devel- opment: first, information dealing with adolescent needs and developmental tasks (Cole and Hall, 1970; Garrison, 1965; Havighurst, 1953; Lucas and Her- rocks, 1960; Staten, 1963; Yellowleas, 1940); second, investigations concerned with desired personality characteristics and acceptability during adolescence (Cole and Hall, 1970; Crow, 1956; Kuhlen and Lee, 1943; Tryon, 1939;

~Lecturer in Psychology, New South Wales College of Paramedical Studies, Sydney. Re- ceived her M.A. (Hens.)and Ph.D. from Macquarie University. Member of Australian Psychological Society. Principal research interests are child psychopathology and psychol- ogy of adolescence.

2Senior Lecturer in Psychology, School of Behavioural Sciences, Macquarie University. Received his M.A.(Hons.) and Ph.D. from Sydney University. Fellow of Australian Psy- chological Society. Principal research interest is psychology of adolescence.

3Address for reprints: Dr. Juliet Harper, N.S.W. College of Paramedical Studies, 28-36 Foveaux Street. Sydney. Australia.

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350 Harper and Collins

Wheeler, 1961); and, third, evidence obtained from studies of adolescent prob- lems (Abel and Gingles, 1965; Arnold and Mooney, 1943; Block, 1937; Cle- ments and Oelke, 1967; Elias, 1949; Garrison and Cunningham, 1952; Lent, 1957; Lewis, 1949; Mooney, 1942a,b; Pope, 1943; Pflieger, 1947; Remmers and Shimberg, 1949; Schultz, 1958).

These surveys afford information collected from free writings of adoles- cents describing their main worries, as well as from interviews with school coun- selors, from the use of projective techniques, and from problem checklists.

The present investigation was concerned with the different problems ex- perienced by privileged and underprivileged boys and girls at the time considered to be the most stressful during adolescence. Rosen e t al. (1964) reported that problems of adjustment were more numerous between 14 and 15 years of age for both boys and girls. Similarly, Block (1937) and Connell e t al. (1957) re- ported that this was the age when adolescents experienced more problems with their parents. It is also the age when suicide rates take a sharp upturn in trend (Bakwin and Bakwin, 1972). The study therefore focused on the midadolescent years as it was considered that this was _the time when the crisis of adolescence was reached and thereafter a better level of adjustment was attained.

It is during the midadolescent years that the struggle for independence and identity (Erikson, 1965) is characterized. Prior to this period, problems of ad- justment are generally associated with the physiological changes taking place and the transition-from primary to secondary schooling. Dependence on the family unit is still common and the assertion of an independent status is not yet a major issue. As midadolescence is approached, the individual's demands for personal recognition become intensified and he comes into conflict with the social mores of his culture. Vocational choice looms ahead and he is caught midway between parental recognition that he can no longer be commanded like a child and fear that he is not yet old enough to be granted complete independence (Sorenson, 1962).

Privileged adolescents in the context of this investigation were defined as those young people who attended high-status, independent schools, i.e., private exclusive schools whose fees put them beyond the reach of most families. While the arbitrary nature of such a definition was fully recognized, it appeared to be the most effective method of isolating the particular subgroup of adolescents for research. The underprivileged group was defined according to Congalton's (1969) criteria for social status and prestige in Sydney. Adolescents were drawn from regional high schools whose catchment areas fell within the lowest 8% of the status hierarchy associated with the suburbs of Metropolitan Sydney.

Schonfeld (1967), at a symposium on "the adolescent crisis," discussed socioeconomic affluence as a factor in adolescent adjustment. He maintained that because of our affluent society the adolescent was given too much too soon. The adolescent was given his first bike and his first car before his parents had been, he went out on dates earlier, stayed out later at night, wore more expen-

Survey of Problems of l~ivileged and Underprivileged Adolescents 351

sive clothes, had more money to spend. On reflection, it seems that each one of these brings with it certain social pressures. Often they can lead the adolescent to delinquency which is unconsciously sanctioned by the parents insofar as they are unaware of pressures to which he is subjected. Schonfeld contended that youth's rebellion in turning to drags, alcohol, and withdrawal was an attempt to escape from the pressures of an affluent society and affluent parents. Parents have not the time to spend with their children because now they are members of clubs, they go out more often, they themselves have more money to spend on leisure and on their own personal pleasure. The one who suffers is the child. It was also suggested that many of these children were given too many material things but were emotionally deprived.

If this argument is correct, when the privileged adolescent is considered it is obvious that even greater social pressure may be placed on him. If each of these indulgences brings with it certain social pressures and allied problems for the adolescent to bear, then some accentuation would be expected in the privi- leged adolescent group.

Knowledge about the privileged adolescent is almost nonexistent and Schonfeld's (1967) treatise was an attempt to understand the ways in which affluent young people deal with the "adolescent crisis." He put forward a num- ber of propositions which may be regarded as both an explanation of and an attempt to understand their behavior. Three of these were as follows:

1. "Today our young people are facing a 'crisis of purpose' which is perhaps more difficult to deal with than the crisis of economics faced by those from economically and socially deprived homes" (p. 1983).

2. "Affluent families impose a multitude of pressures on their children; overpermissiveness, overstimulation, overgratification, hence overdepriva- tion" (p. 1983).

3. "There is a growing pattern of uninvolvement. Many of the young people lack the drive to achieve affluence which motivated their parents because, unlike their parents, they know nothing but security. They want all that money can buy but resent the demands affluence may create" (p. 1986).

Accepting the above arguments, the pressures placed on the underprivi- leged adolescent must be different in character but the problems of adjustment may be the same and the solution just as difficult. He grows amid affluence without the material things taken for granted by his more privileged peers. He is by comparison given too little for too long and this will bring with it different social pressures. He may be deprived of parental supervision for different rea- sons, as both his parents struggle with their own economic problems leaving the adolescent to fend for himself and to pass through the crisis years without support.

The concept of the adolescent culture, largely created by advertising and mass media, brings with it specific pressures for the underprivileged adolescent.

352 Harper and Collins

If he is to be accepted by this culture he must conform to the current image of the adolescent in what he wears, how he talks, his pleasures and his pastimes. However, for the underprivileged adolescent financial assistance from the family cannot be counted on and this creates a situation in which resorting to deviant means to obtain gratification and conformity may be the way out. If he turns to drugs, alcohol, and rebellion or to gangs to fulfill his affiliation needs and supply group succorance and aggressive action against society, it may be covertly sanc- tioned by his parents, who resent society for leaving them in their underpri- vileged state.

It is easy to see both how the underprivileged may be emotionally de- prived and how the pressures placed on their adjustment problems may be exacerbated.

Ausubel (1954) has stated that while social class makes little difference to the types of problems the number of problems reported by the underprivileged is greater. Hurlock (1967)in a discussion of the handicaps of low socioeconomic status in adolescence points out that the underprivileged adolescents tend to be less well adjusted than those from higher socioeconomic groups, which again suggests that they would experience more problems in all areas of adjustment.

METHOD

Subjects

The subjects were 1298 pupils drawn from schools in the Sydney Metro- politan Area. There were 436 girls and 420 boys in the privileged group and 212 girls and 230 boys in the underprivileged group. All subjects were third-form pupils in the age range 14-15 years and all schools were noncoeducational.

Procedure

The materials consisted of an adolescent problem checklist which had been constructed from data collected in a previous study (Collins and Harper, 1974). The checklist consisted of 216 problems associated with the six problem areas of health and physical appearance, religious and life values, educational adjustment, social adjustment, personal adjustment, and family adjustment.

The problem checklists were administered by class teachers during a school period. Anonymity was assured by having the respondents place the completed forms in a ballot box. The only personal data obtained were age, date of birth, sex, and school attended. Respondents were instructed to underline any prob- lems which they considered were relevant to them at the present time and to list

Survey of Problems of Privileged and Underprivileged Adolescents

Table L Means, Standard Deviations, and Range of Scores for Problems of Both Privileged and Underprivileged Boys and Girls

353

N )( S.D. Range

Privileged Girls 436 31.75 20.3 1-125 Boys 420 28.61 18.9 0-109

Underprivileged Girls 212 49.27 23.7 6-144 Boys 230 43.59 18.5 0-128

on an attached sheet any problems which they considered had been omitted from the checklist.

RESULTS

The means, standard deviations, and ranges of the reported problems for boys and girls are shown in Table I. Analysis of variance showed significant class differences (F1,1294 = 93.28, p < 0.001), significant sex differences (F1,1294 = 36.33, p < 0 . 0 0 1 ) , and a significant interaction (F1, 1294 = 27.16, p < 0.001) effect between class and sex.

Underprivileged adolescents reported significantly more problems than their more privileged peers. Perusal of the mean number of problems in each category, shown in Table II, showed that the underprivileged adolescents re- ported more problems of adjustment in all categories, with educational adjust- ments and social adjustments causing them the most concern. It is interesting to note that family adjustments caused proportionally more concern to the under- privileged group than the privileged and that both groups were most concerned about their educational adjustments.

Girls reported more problems than boys in all areas of adjustment. The mean numbers of problems reported by all the boys and all the girls are shown in

Table lI. Mean Number of Problems in Each Category: Privileged vs. Under- privileged

Privi leged Underprivileged Category (n = 856) (n = 442)

Health and physical appearance 4.24 5.18 Religious and life values 5.14 5.69 Educational adjustment 7.82 11.01 Social adjustment 4.89 6.90 Personal adjustment 4.60 6.26 Family adjustment 3.19 6.14

354 Harper and Collins

Table lIl. Mean Number of Problems in Each Category: Girls vs. Boys

Girls Boys Category (n = 648) (n = 650)

Health and physical appearance 5.20 3.99 Religious and life values 5.94 4.73 Educational adjustment 9.23 8.58 Social adjustment 5.86 5.30 Personal adjustment 5.77 4.57 Family adjustment 5.09 3.30

Table III. Again, it can be seen that it is in the area o f educat ional ad jus tment

that most problems arise for b o t h boys and girls.

The in teract ion be tween class and sex shows that there is a greater differ-

ence in the number o f problems exper ienced by the underprivi leged boys and

girls than that be tween the sexes in the privileged group. While privileged girls

repor t more problems than privileged boys, underprivi leged boys report more

problems than privileged girls. Most problems are repor ted by underprivi leged

girls. The ten most f requent ly repor ted problems for girls and boys in bo th

groups are shown in Table IV.

Table IV. The Ten Most Frequently Reported Problems

Girls Boys

Privileged adolescents

1. Want to make a success of my life 2. Afraid of failing in exams 3. Worry about what others think of me 4. Concerned about the state of the world 5. Very self-conscious 6. Fight with sister/brother 7. Cannot concentrate to study 8. Would like a boyfriend 9. Problems with some school subjects

10. Difficulty getting up in the morning

1. Want to make a success of my life 2. Not allowed to have long hair 3. Need more freedom at school 4. Afraid of failing in exams 5. Concerned about a future job 6. Would like a girl friend 7. Fight with sister/brother 8. Nervous about tests 9. Cannot concentrate to study

10. Difficulty getting up in the morning

Underprivileged adolescents 1. Fight with brother/sister 2. Want to make a success of my life 3. Afraid of failing in exams 4. Concerned about a future job 5. Problems with some school subjects 6. Nervous about tests 7. Would like a boyfriend 8. Cannot communicate with parents 9. Worry about what others think of me

10. Need more freedom at school

1. Fight with brother/sister 2. Want to make a success of my life 3. Not allowed to have long hair 4. Afraid of failing in exams 5. Concerned about a future job 6. Would like a girlfriend 7. Nervous about tests 8. Cannot dance well 9. Cannot concentrate to study

10. Difficulty meeting girls

Survey of Problems of Privileged and Underprivileged Adolescents 355

DISCUSSION

In the present study, the major findings were significant sex differences and socioeconomic differences in the mean number of problems and an interac- tion effect between the two. Underprivileged girls and boys reported more prob- lems than their privileged peers and girls in both groups expressed more prob- lems than boys. However, underprivileged boys reported more problems than privileged girls, which would suggest that number of problems is more directly related to socioeconomic status than to sex differences.

Previous studies of problems, fears, and worries of children and adoles- cents in which socioeconomic status has been a relevant variable (Angelino, 1956; Clements and Oelke, 1967; Hertzler, 1950; Pinter and Lev, 1940) have not reported any significant quantitative differences between the sexes, although it must be stressed that methodological differences severely limit comparisons. However, it would appear relevant to cite an investigation by Clements and Oelke (1967), using the Mooney Problem Check List, in which girls reported significantly more problems than boys but social class had no significant effect. A significant variable was "educational level of the heads of the students' house- holds"; students whose parents had not completed high school had more prob- lems than those whose parents had graduated from high school and attended college. The relationship between this variable and social class was not detailed.

Another study which examined "high" and "low" socioeconomic groups, that of Angelino (1956), reported no difference between mean number of wor- ries using an open-ended questionnaire. Both groups of girls expressed more worries and fears than boys but the difference was not significant.

The present investigation differs from the others in that the extreme ends of the socioeconomic continuum were compared, not a cross-section within a regional area. This could account for differences in results, although it may be that national differences, class differences, or differences within the educational systems between Australia and the United States are the causal agents.

The findings support Hurlock's (1967) contention that underprivileged adolescents tend to be less well adjusted than those from higher socioeconomic groups, and could therefore be expected to report more problems in all areas of adjustment.

Educational problems were of greatest concern for all groups despite sex and class differences and may be interpreted as an indication of the pressure to achieve imposed on these young people. It supports Amos and Washington's (1960) assertion that teachers tend to think of pupils as lacking interest in school and disliking study, and that they underestimate the number of pupils who are afraid of failure and afraid of making mistakes.

Attention should be drawn to the fact that five of the ten most frequently reported problems for privileged boys and for both underprivileged girls and

356 Harper and Collins

boys, and four for privileged girls, are associated with achievement either present or future. Whether this is due to the investigation being undertaken in the school environment and therefore making the respondents more aware of these types of problems cannot be fully determined. What it does suggest is that the desire to find expression as an individual and to achieve an adequate self-concept during adolescence is largely associated with achievement in the school situation. For boys the desire for long hair and more freedom may be seen as a need to establish ego identity paralleling the girls' need for self-assurance and social acceptability.

Qualitative differences between sexes and social groups as expressed in the ten highest-frequency problems presented in Table IV show a considerable over- lap for both the privileged and underprivileged adolescents. Six of the ten prob- lems were common to both sexes, while four problems were common to all groups. Privileged and underprivileged girls had six problems in common and this increased to eight in the case of the boys. These findings provide some evidence to support the proposition that socioeconomic level has little effect on the range and type of problems reported by adolescents (Ausubel, 1954; Hemming, 1967).

Family problems were of greater concern to the underprivileged, which supports the finding of Connell et al. (1957) that adolescents from private fee-charging schools, in this case the privileged adolescents, report fewer con- flicts with parents than do those attending state schools.

The finding of sex differences in both socioeconomic groups supports the literature in this area (Ausubel, 1954; Hemming, 1967), although it should be noted that sex differences in social expectations may be a contributing factor. That is, boys may report fewer problems due to the "taboo on tenderness" in our culture which is stronger for men than for women (Suttie, 1935) and sug- gests that boys may be less inclined to admit to problems for fear of appearing weak. However, it may be that in general girls do have a more stressful adoles- cence than boys. When the additional stresses associated with low socioeconomic status are present, class differences assume more importance than sex differ- ences, as supported by the finding that underprivileged boys report more prob- lems than privileged girls.

In conclusion, while socioeconomic differences were found to affect the number of problems reported by adolescents the range and type of problems appear to be similar at both ends of the socioeconomic scale.

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