CHICAGO — A surprising number of teenagers — nearly 15 percent — think they’re going to die young, leading many to drugs, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, research suggests.
The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 kids, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they’re invulnerable to harm. Instead, a sizable number of teens may take chances “because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake,” said study author Dr. Iris Borowsky of the University of Minnesota.
The behavior threatens to turn fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over seven years, kids who thought they would die early were seven times more likely than optimistic kids to be diagnosed with AIDS. They were more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights with serious injuries.
The study appears in the July issue of Pediatrics, released today.
The Associated Press
