SWYS 2001 News - Friends and Parents Provide Teen Support; Grades Top Worry

Issues That Southwest Wisconsin Teens Worry About

Nearly half of all teens in grades 7-12 in southwest Wisconsin say they would turn to a friend their own age if they were having a personal problem and needed someone to talk to. One in five teens would turn to a parent or stepparent. Ninety-six percent of teens say they worry at least a little about getting good grades and 75% of teens say they worry at least a little about getting along with their parents.

Those are among the findings of the Southwest Wisconsin Youth Survey (SWYS) survey conducted by 19 of 31 school districts in the Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) District 3. The school districts of Argyle, Barneveld, Benton, Belmont, Black Hawk, Cassville, Darlington, Dodgeville, Iowa-Grant, Lancaster, Mineral Point, Pecatonica, Platteville, Potosi, River Ridge, River Valley, Seneca, Shullsburg and Southwestern surveyed more than 5,700 students in September of 2001. UW-Extension faculty in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties are involved in processing and presenting the findings.

"The survey found that older teens were more likely than younger teens to report that they would turn to a friend if they needed someone to talk to. Younger teens were more likely than older teens to report that they would turn to parents", says Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County UW-Extension Youth Development Educator. AMore than a third of 7th graders say they would turn to a parent while only 12% of 12th graders say the same. Thirty-one percent of 7th graders report they would talk to a friend their age if they needed to talk about personal problems while 55% of 12th graders cite friends as their first choice to talk to."

"Getting good grades is a concern for nearly every teen and 46% of teens worry quite a bit about their grades. Girls are more worried than boys about this issue, with 53% of girls and 38% of boys saying that they worry a lot about getting good grades", reports Deb Ivey, Iowa County 4-H Youth Development Agent. AThe difference is more stark in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade where the gap between girls and boys who worry a lot about getting good grades is over 20%."

"Females were more likely than males to report that they worry at least a little about getting along with their parents, and 30% of females and 24% of males worry a lot about this issue, says Ruth Schriefer, Iowa County Family Living Agent. AOlder teens are less likely to worry about getting along with their parents than younger teens."

In addition to getting good grades and getting along with parents, the SWYS survey also found that 73% of teens worry at least a little about the loss of a friend or relative because of death, 65% worry at least a little about getting a good job when they finish school and 60% worry at least a little about being too fat or thin.

"When it comes to being too fat or too thin, 79% of females and 41% of males worry at least a little about the issue", says Schriefer. "Only 8% percent of males say they worry a lot about being too fat or too thin while 29% of females report the same level of worry. In general, older females worry about the issue more than their younger counterparts."

Teens were asked about 19 possible concerns. Overall, females were more likely to worry about each issue with the exception of getting along with people of other races and their personal use of alcohol or other drugs. Forty-six percent of males and 37% percent of females worry at least a little about getting along with people of other races and 17% of males and 14% of females report that they worry at least a little about their use of alcohol or other drugs.

"Families have always been an important support system for teens and the survey finds that 55% of teens strongly agree that their families love them and give them support when they need it. Another 34% agree with that statement", adds Ivey. "More younger teens strongly agreed with the statement than older teens. The more strongly teens agree with the statement, the less likely they are to report the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. They are also less likely to report having thoughts of suicide or engaging in sexual intercourse."

"Teens perceptions of their community also provide us indicators of support systems", says Schmitz. The survey shows that teens who feel adults in their community respect and listen to them and who feel adults would tell their parents if they do something wrong score higher on the survey's self-esteem scale. Teens that score higher on this scale report lower levels of alcohol, tobacco and other drug uses as well as lower levels of depression and sexual intercourse. Adults also play a positive role when teens feel there is an adult in their community they can talk to regarding serious personal problems.

The SWYS survey was funded in large part by the Grant County Tobacco-Free Coalition, the Lafayette County Tobacco-Free Coalition and the Iowa County Tobacco Coalition. Other funders included Lafayette County Families First, participating school districts, the Department of Transportation, United Way of Iowa County, Iowa County Family Preservation and Support, the Biddick Foundation and the Alliant Energy Foundation.

A full report on the SWYS survey results is due out this spring. Schmitz, Ivey and Schriefer are also giving community presentations on the data. For more information on the survey contact your local school district, Schmitz at 723-2125 or Ivey and Schriefer at 935-0391.

Return to 2001 News Releases

Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator
Youth and Agriculture Center P.O. Box 31, Lancaster, WI 53813
Phone: 608-723-2125   Fax: 608:723-4315   
E-mail: thomas.schmitz@ces.uwex.edu