WAKE UP MOMS AND DADS!
You Know Far Less About Your Teen Daughter Than You Think
New Survey of Girls Aged 14-18 and Their Parents Timed To Coincide With
March 10 Premiere of Docu-Series, High School Confidential
found at newsblaze.com
march 2008
It is hardly shocking that teenage girls today suffer significant anxiety and
stress, but according to a recently released poll commissioned by the cable
network WE tv and conducted by Harris Interactive�, many are struggling
with a much bigger issue-poor communication with their parents.
The poll, released to coincide with the March 10th premiere of the docu-series,
High School Confidential, indicates that many parents who think they are staying
in close touch with their teenage daughters' lives may be operating under an
incorrect assumption. Although over three quarters (78%) of parents are sure
that their daughters can talk to them about anything, only slightly more than
half (54%) of high school girls surveyed agreed that they could chat about
anything with their parents. In addition, 34% of teens disagree with the
statement "I can talk to my parents about anything." As a result,
parents may be surprised to learn they are far less informed than they believe.
While a whopping 73% of parents report that they know much of what is happening
in the lives of their adolescent daughters, only 45% of the teenage respondents
concur that their parents know a great deal about what is really going on with
them.
ON PARENT / TEEN COMMUNICATION
Parents and teens also have vastly different perceptions of their
conversations with each other. When it comes to sex, only 6% of parents say that
they never discuss sex with their child, but almost half (47%) of teenage girls
polled indicate never having conversations about sex with their parents. Parents
also may not be attuned to what issues are most important to their teen
daughters. Although three-quarters (74%) of high school girls say they
personally know someone their age who has been pregnant, teen pregnancy hardly
tops the list of parental concerns. In fact, only 21% of parents say it is a
major concern that their daughter might get pregnant-and just 30% consider their
daughter having unprotected sex to be a major concern. Similarly, while most
girls (87%) are stressed by the way their body looks, half (52%) of their
parents are not at all concerned that their daughters might develop eating
disorders.
While teen girls report talking most to their parents about school,
friendships, and hopes and dreams, they far less frequently discuss issues such
as drugs, alcohol, smoking cigarettes, romantic relationships and sex. The
avoidance of these potentially controversial topics may be why girls are less
likely to seek their parents' advice. Although most (84%) parents say they trust
their children, nearly twice as many teens polled say they would definitely ask
their friends for opinions about problems (42%) rather than absolutely turning
to a mother or stepmother (23%) for advice. Yet, parents should know that teen
girls value their parents' guidance; over half (52%) report that when they do
get advice they almost always listen to it.
Parents who want to improve their communication with teen daughters and learn
more about what is actually going on in their lives should take note of this
finding: Nearly half (45%) of high school girls polled say they would like to
spend more time with their families.
ON TEEN STRESS
Today's teenage girls are busy; 96% are involved in at least one
extracurricular activity, more than half (54%) of all high school students
volunteer, and 41% of juniors and seniors have part time jobs. Teen girls know
they should be getting more sleep. Fourteen to 18-year-olds estimate that they
need 8.4 hours of sleep per night, but typically get an average of only 6.8
hours. That means teen girls miss a total of 8 hours of sleep, or a full night,
over the course of each 5-day school week.
Yet their stress stems from more than their current commitments and lack of
sleep; almost all 9th through 12th graders (97%) say that preparing for their
future (getting into college and getting a job) and earning good grades (95%)
cause them at least some stress. Specifically, 71% of girls report the most
stress ("a great deal" or "quite a bit") coming from
preparing for the future, 66% from getting good grades in school, 42% from
parents, and 41% from the way their bodies look.
Parents underestimate how many of their teens binge or purge to lose weight;
while only 4% of parents believe their teenage daughters have engaged in these
behaviors, three times as many (12%) girls admit that they have binged or purged
in an effort to lose weight.
ON PEER PRESSURE
Peer pressure may be less influential than parents think. While 64% of
mothers and fathers believe their daughters are pressured to have sex and 56%
perceive they feel at least some stress from pressure to drink, do drugs, and
smoke, only 25% of girls report pressure to have sex and 21% to smoke, drink or
do drugs. Teenage girls also admit to about half as much cigarette smoking (7%)
than their parents report (15%). In fact, instead of feeling social pressures to
use substances and have sex, far more teenage girls say that they experience
stress related to relationships with their parents (87%) and friends (83%).
"The gap between parents' perceptions of what is happening in their teen
daughters' lives and what girls actually report should be a wake-up call,
encouraging mothers and fathers to start talking-less about school and friends,
and more about girls' worries about their future; their feelings about their
bodies, romantic relationships; sexuality; and temptations to use substances.
Through these conversations with parents, teens are best able to refine the
thinking, values, and skills they need to make smart decisions in their social
lives," said Roni Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D., author of Stressed-out Girls:
Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure.
Full methodology
On behalf of WE tv, Harris Interactive� conducted an online survey
with 614 high school girls, ages 14 - 18 between February 7 and 18, 2008, and
597 parents of teenage girls ages 14-18 between February 12 and 19, 2008.
Teenage girl data were weighted to key demographic (grade level, age,
race/ethnicity, region, school location and parents' highest level of education)
variables. Parent data were weighted to key demographic (education, age, sex,
race/ethnicity, region, household income) variables. Propensity score weighting
was used to adjust for parent respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling,
are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to
quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated
with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options,
and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids
the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be
calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities
for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only
theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
WE TV POLL/PAGE THREE
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to
participate in Harris Interactive surveys. Because the sample is based on those
who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online
research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long
and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology,
we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves
clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a
network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit
www.harrisinteractive.com.
About High School Confidential
High School Confidential, is a ground breaking documentary series premiering
on WE tv, Monday, March 10, 2008 at 10pm/9c. The eight-episode series follows 12
girls through four years of high school, from freshman year through graduation,
capturing the good, the bad, the poignant, and the pivotal moments in their
experience. The series, which features incredible transformations, both physical
and emotional, goes beyond the classroom to reveal the pressing issues in
today's adolescent culture including: depression, anxiety disorders, self-esteem
problems, decisions on sexuality, experimentation with substances, complex
family dynamics, religion and even death.
About WE tv
WE tv is the content destination where women go to indulge their curiosity
with quality unscripted programming from weddings to real life stories. With
programs like the hit series "Bridezillas," unique movie packages
including "Cinematherapy", topical specials, and its public affairs
initiative WE Empowers Women, the network supports women and appeals to their
interests. WE tv is a subsidiary of Rainbow Entertainment Services, and
currently is seen in over 68 million homes.
judythpiazza@newsblaze.com
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