The belief among many U.S. youth that they will die before age 30 and the consequences of such "unrealistic fatalism" was discussed today by Dr. Dan Gottlieb during "Morning Edition" on WHYY. Gottlieb, host of "Voices in the Family" on WHYY, cited the study, published last month in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Co-authors are Patrick E. Jamieson and Dan Romer of APPC's Adolescent Risk Communication Institute.
Gottlieb noted that youth who do exhibit signs of "unrealistic fatalism" often are those least likely to have community support systems in place to offer guidance or mental health care. He quoted data from the survey that showed young people aged 14 to 22 often dropped out of school and lost contact with social networks that might provide counseling.