tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca-fr/topics/young-men-12200/articlesYoung men – La Conversation2023-08-22T12:25:41Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2115582023-08-22T12:25:41Z2023-08-22T12:25:41ZOnline gaming communities could provide a lifeline for isolated young men − new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543047/original/file-20230816-15-gx4a3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C5104%2C2858&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many gamers discuss deeply personal and sensitive topics with each other.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/back-of-the-head-shot-of-an-african-american-gamer-royalty-free-image/1448557185">gorodenkoff/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Online gaming communities could be a vital lifeline for young men struggling silently with mental health issues, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2023.2199171">according to new research</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=dn6NJr4AAAAJ">My</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Rj7Jpt8AAAAJ">colleagues</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=TOKNbGcAAAAJ">I</a> analyzed an all-male online football gaming community over the course of a year. We discovered that members who reported more depressive symptoms and less real-life support were roughly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2023.2199171">40% more likely</a> to form and maintain social ties with fellow gamers compared with those reporting more real-life support.</p>
<p>This finding suggests the chat and community features of online games might provide isolated young men an anonymous “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/04/third-places-meet-new-people-pandemic/629468/">third place</a>” – or space where people can congregate other than work or home – to open up, find empathy and build crucial social connections they may lack in real life. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Mental health issues like depression and suicide are on the rise <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717002781">among young men</a> in the U.S., yet social stigmas and traditional masculinity often inhibit them <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.09.002">from seeking professional assistance</a>. Up to <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29393/2019NSDUHFFRPDFWHTML/2019NSDUHFFR1PDFW090120.pdf">75% of people</a> with mental illnesses go without treatment, with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017224">men especially unlikely to pursue counseling or therapy</a>. </p>
<p>Online social spaces, like gaming communities, may offer an alternative avenue to find connection and discuss serious personal problems without the barriers of formal mental health services. The social features of online games allow players to privately chat and build friendships, potentially creating vital informal support networks. While not a substitute for professional care, these virtual forums could encourage discussion of mental health challenges among young men facing social isolation and untreated depression. </p>
<p>More comprehensive research is still needed, but the social features of online games may literally provide young men a lifeline when they have nowhere else to turn.</p>
<h2>How we do our work</h2>
<p>We asked members of a small online gaming community to tell us specifically who in the community they talked to about important life matters. Using an open-ended survey, we then asked about these conversations. We also asked them to report how often they felt certain depressive symptoms, as well as their feelings on in-person and online social support.</p>
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<span class="caption">Virtual friendships can have real-life impacts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/asian-gamer-is-upset-royalty-free-image/1395300802">PonyWang/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>We found some members discussed deeply personal and sensitive topics with each other. Many mentioned talking about struggles like stress, anxiety and depression. Some brought up relationship problems they were facing with romantic partners or family members. Others sought advice on major life decisions related to jobs, moving or going back to school. </p>
<p>Several participants specifically said they confided about topics they felt unable to discuss with people in their real lives, suggesting these online friendships provided an outlet they were otherwise lacking. The depth of sharing indicates these online friendships had moved beyond superficial topics into deeper emotional support and bonding.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Our research was limited to 40 male participants interested in college football video games. Further investigations using larger, more diverse samples across various gaming genres are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.</p>
<p>A key question is whether online social support directly improves depression – or are depressed individuals simply more inclined to seek connections virtually? Despite a massive industry and audience for online gaming, its mental health impacts remain murky. </p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>My colleagues and I are launching studies that analyze the impact of multiplayer games on teamwork, leadership and social skills in high school and college students compared with traditional extracurricular activities. We are also investigating how involvement in esports can cultivate lasting social relationships and foster a sense of community. </p>
<p>Through multiyear studies, we hope to understand online gaming’s risks – alongside its promise for improving mental health, social integration and life skills.</p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take on interesting academic work.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211558/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tyler Prochnow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For young men who struggle with mental health or lack connections in real life, chat and community features of online games can be a source of support.Tyler Prochnow, Assistant Professor of Health Behavior; School of Public Health, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1996572023-02-10T14:31:53Z2023-02-10T14:31:53ZA boon for sports fandom or a looming mental health crisis? 5 essential reads on the effects of legal sports betting<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509263/original/file-20230209-22-4dax04.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=132%2C97%2C4532%2C2930&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In a remarkable shift, pro sports leagues like the NFL have eagerly embraced gambling.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/one-hundred-dollar-football-royalty-free-image/471257888?phrase=sports betting&adppopup=true">michaelquirk/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A lifelong sports fan, I grew up hearing tales of sports figures felled by gambling scandals – baseball stars <a href="https://www.silive.com/news/2021/06/si-field-of-dreams-black-sox-outfielder-shoeless-joe-jackson-played-here-after-baseball-ban.html">“Shoeless” Joe Jackson</a> and <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pete-rose-gets-booted-from-baseball">Pete Rose</a>, <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/chalk/story/_/id/11633538/betting-chronicling-worst-fix-ever-1978-79-bc-point-shaving-scandal">the 1978-79 Boston College basketball team</a> and NBA referee <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25980368/how-former-ref-tim-donaghy-conspired-fix-nba-games">Tim Donaghy</a>. </p>
<p>Sports leagues wanted nothing to do with gambling, which they feared would taint the integrity of the game. They had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/02/nyregion/how-politics-nipped-a-sports-betting-bill.html">lobbied heavily</a> for the passage of <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/102/s474/summary">the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992</a>, also known as the Bradley Act, which banned sports betting in the U.S.</p>
<p>Then, in May 2018, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/us/politics/supreme-court-sports-betting-new-jersey.html">overturned the Bradley Act</a>.</p>
<p>This time, the leagues and networks were fully on board. Gambling ads for companies like DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel started appearing in arenas and beaming across airwaves. Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams <a href="https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2022/09/15/davante-adams-becomes-brand-ambassador-for-official-gaming-parter-of-the-raiders-mgm-resorts/">signed a sponsorship deal</a> with MGM. And point spreads started being prominently featured on sports media outlets. </p>
<div style="width:50%;float:right;margin:10px;"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2533/TheConversation_SportsBetting.pdf?1676069169"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509547/original/file-20230210-26-aade4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=300&fit=crop&dpr=1" alt="Cover of ebook on sports gambling"></a><br>
<a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2533/TheConversation_SportsBetting.pdf?1676069169"><strong>Download these articles in a magazine-style ebook</strong></a>
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<p>Curious, I started placing some bets myself. I instantly grasped the allure: Here I was, watching games that I would have otherwise never watched – that didn’t involve my favorite teams, the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots – and I was engaged and excited from start to finish. The leagues, too, must have been keenly aware of this opportunity to engage fans when they decided to change their tune on gambling. </p>
<p>With the five-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision approaching, I wanted to learn more about what scholars at the forefront of gambling research had been discovering. How many people were betting on sports? For those <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/14/589087523/supreme-court-rules-states-are-free-to-legalize-sports-betting">who criticized</a> the Supreme Court decision five years ago, was their hand-wringing misplaced? Were rates of problem gambling actually on the rise? If so, who was most at risk?</p>
<p>Gambling research can be challenging; <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">laws and regulations vary by state</a>, and gambling researchers <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">receive almost no federal funding</a>. </p>
<p>But a small and dedicated group of scholars in the U.S. and abroad have been gauging the impact of this new era in American sports. With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.</p>
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<h2>1. A new fan experience</h2>
<p>Prior to becoming the chair of Penn State’s sports journalism program, <a href="https://www.bellisario.psu.edu/people/individual/john-affleck">John Affleck</a> had worked as a sports reporter and editor for The Associated Press. Both in the newsroom and in his early years at Penn State, there was nary a peep about gambling. </p>
<p>Now he notices his students regularly talking about the point spread and over/under for upcoming games.</p>
<p>He writes about <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">how quickly gambling has become integrated in sports media</a>, with announcers and analysts peppering in references to gambling during live coverage and postgame analysis.</p>
<p>He describes the thousands of betting tip channels on YouTube, the segments on TV devoted to gambling and the betting lines that appear in game previews.</p>
<p>“In the nearly five years since the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting, a whole industry has sprouted up that, for tens of millions of fans around the country, is now just part of the show.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">How legalized sports betting has transformed the fan experience</a>
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<h2>2. Is New Jersey a canary in the coal mine?</h2>
<p>After the Supreme Court’s May 2018 ruling, New Jersey was one of a handful of states primed to pounce: Legislation had been prepped in advance, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/nyregion/sports-betting-legalized-nj.html">and the governor signed a bill legalizing sports betting</a> less than a month after the federal ban was overturned.</p>
<p>But the state also included something in their legislation that other states didn’t: It gave the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University access to data on every bet placed in the state, and tasked it with conducting regular studies on gambling in New Jersey. </p>
<p>Lia Nower, who directs the center, <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">highlights some worrisome findings</a> from her team’s forthcoming gambling prevalence study – particularly for young bettors.</p>
<p>She and her team found that those who bet on sports were more likely than other gamblers to have problems with drugs or alcohol and experience anxiety and depression. Most alarming, about 14% of sports bettors reported thoughts of suicide, with 10% saying they had attempted suicide. And the fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey were young adults between the ages of 20 and 25 – over 70% of whom had placed in-game bets. </p>
<p>“Since about 70% of the sports bets we analyzed were losing bets,” Nower writes, “most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford.”</p>
<p>Nower also explains how other countries with a longer history of legal sports betting have enacted a raft of regulations intended to protect gamblers and curb the worst excesses of the gambling companies – a topic another scholar, Alex Russell, <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">explores in his history of sports gambling in Australia</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">Data from New Jersey is a warning sign for young sports bettors</a>
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<h2>3. Technology facilitates impulsive betting</h2>
<p>If there’s one key difference between the early 1990s, when the Bradley Act passed, and today, it’s the advent of smartphones.</p>
<p>In many states, there’s no need to drive to a casino to place a bet on a game; all you need to do is download a gambling app. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299495/forecast-number-of-online-sports-bettors-us/">According to one estimate</a>, there were about 19 million online sports bettors in 2022.</p>
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<p>Clinical psychologist and gambling researcher Meredith K. Ginley explores how <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">these apps facilitate impulsive in-game betting</a> that can cause losses to mount until the final whistle blows.</p>
<p>“Proximity to gambling venues is a known risk factor for problematic levels of gambling,” she writes. “Sports wagering apps essentially load a casino onto the phone in your pocket.”</p>
<p>Many apps offer tools that let users set deposit, loss and wagering limits to encourage responsible gambling. But, she adds, the apps are also “heavily ‘gamified’ to feel more like an interactive video game” with “push notifications, free play, leaderboards and more.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">Sports betting apps' notifications and leaderboards encourage more and more wagers – a psychologist who treats gambling addictions explains why some people get hooked</a>
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<h2>4. A new problem gambler profile emerges</h2>
<p>Sure enough, some sports bettors have developed gambling problems.</p>
<p>Tori Horn, a clinical psychologist at the University of Memphis <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">who treats people with gambling disorder</a>, has seen a shift in the profile of her typical patient – from clients who were usually older and gambled in casinos to younger men, mostly in their 20s, who are seeking treatment for problems with sports betting. </p>
<p>Horn explains how many of her patients started betting via gambling apps after learning about promotions like FanDuel’s “No Sweat First Bet,” which offers free bets to new users. </p>
<p>In addiction therapy, therapists often encourage clients to avoid places, people and situations that are associated with the substance. </p>
<p>For these reasons, problem sports gamblers – particularly those who use apps – “present a unique challenge,” she writes, since it is “incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to ask a client to stop using their smartphone or stop watching sports.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-treat-people-with-gambling-disorder-and-im-starting-to-see-more-and-more-young-men-who-are-betting-on-sports-198285">I treat people with gambling disorder – and I’m starting to see more and more young men who are betting on sports</a>
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<h2>5. The ‘hidden addiction’</h2>
<p>But might concerns over sports betting be overblown?</p>
<p>James P. Whalen, who directs the Institute for Gambling Education and Research at the University of Memphis, cautions against reaching any sort of premature conclusions about legal sports betting as a societal scourge.</p>
<p>“A review of 30 years of research on the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder reveals a pattern,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-americans-are-problem-gamblers-so-why-do-so-few-people-ever-seek-treatment-197861">he writes</a>. “More gambling availability tends to lead to a spike in the number of people reporting gambling issues in the short term. However, populations tend to adapt over time; the rate of gambling problems decreases accordingly.”</p>
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<p>Regardless, there are still millions of Americans who are caught in the throes of gambling addiction. And treating the disorder – so stigmatized that it’s often called the “<a href="https://cocaberks.org/problem-gambling-the-hidden-addiction/">hidden addiction</a>” – is complicated by the fact that relatively few people seek treatment compared with other mental health disorders.</p>
<p>“The other challenge is the rate at which people discontinue treatment,” Whelan adds. For most mental health disorders, 20% of people who start therapy will drop out before completing a standard course of treatment, he explains.</p>
<p>“By comparison,” he notes, “the dropout rate for gambling harms is nearly double: 39%.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-americans-are-problem-gamblers-so-why-do-so-few-people-ever-seek-treatment-197861">Millions of Americans are problem gamblers – so why do so few people ever seek treatment?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1978652023-02-09T13:34:03Z2023-02-09T13:34:03ZData from New Jersey is a warning sign for young sports bettors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508402/original/file-20230206-27-cp4rbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C53%2C3593%2C2488&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fans celebrate at the William Hill Sports Book in Atlantic City, N.J.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fans-gather-at-william-hill-sports-book-at-ocean-resort-news-photo/1127223046?phrase=sports%20book%20new%20jersey&adppopup=true">Lisa Lake/Getty Images for William Hill US</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for Super Bowl LVII, a record-breaking 50 million bettors are expected to have <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/new/record-50-million-americans-to-wager-16b-on-super-bowl-lvii/">US$16 billion</a> of their own skin in the game, according to the American Gaming Association. </p>
<p>In January 2023, Ohio and Massachusetts launched legal sports betting, joining Washington D.C. and <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">34 other states</a> that have passed laws since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban in 2018. State legislatures have generally been eager to capitalize on the tax windfalls from sports betting and get their slice of <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/resources/aga-commercial-gaming-revenue-tracker/">the billions</a> wagered annually. Voters are also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/08/legal-sports-betting-support-americans/">increasingly supportive of legalization</a>. </p>
<p>Here in New Jersey, sports betting, both online and in person, has been legal since June 2018. The state is the only jurisdiction that requires yearly evaluations of the relationship of online gambling and sports wagering to problem gambling. </p>
<p>The Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, which I direct, <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">conducts those annual evaluations</a> using data from all sports bets placed in New Jersey since 2018. Our findings suggest that the nation’s love affair with sports betting may be having unintended consequences.</p>
<h2>Sports betting tied to poor mental health</h2>
<p>In a forthcoming statewide gambling prevalence study, we found that those wagering on sports in New Jersey were more likely than others who gamble to have high rates of problem gambling and problems with drugs or alcohol, and to experience mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Most alarming, findings suggest that about 14% of sports bettors reported thoughts of suicide, and 10% said they had made a suicide attempt.</p>
<p>A small group of bettors seem to be most at risk. About 5% of all sports bettors placed nearly half of all bets and spent nearly 70% of the money. That means the people losing the most money are the most essential to operator profits.</p>
<p><a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">The fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey</a> are young adults, ages 21 to 24. Most have placed in-game bets, and about 19% spent half of their money betting during games, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">when emotions and impulsive spending are highest</a>. </p>
<p>Although regulators require operators to allow bettors to set limits – on losses, deposits or time spent gambling – only about 1% of young bettors use any of the safeguards, less than any other age group. Since about <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">70% of the sports bets we analyzed</a> were losing bets, most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford. </p>
<h2>A vulnerable population</h2>
<p>It is possible, then, that states could unwittingly be introducing a cohort of young people to problem gambling and a lifetime of negative consequences. </p>
<p>That’s because the younger that people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jpsychires.2012.02.007">start gambling</a>, the more activities they bet on. And the more frequently they bet, the more likely they are to develop serious gambling problems. Studies suggest that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9726-y">those who gamble as young adults</a> have higher-than-average rates of problem gambling.</p>
<p>The danger is compounded by the easy access afforded by tablets and mobile phones, which eliminate most barriers to gambling even for those who are underage. Children who are exposed to the unrelenting parade of gambling ads <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12728">report they remember</a> both the products and the betting terms from those ads, and some teens say <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.128">they intended to gamble as a result</a>. If <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107460">parents or other household members also gamble</a>, those children may later develop not only gambling problems, but also problems with drugs and alcohol. </p>
<h2>Few regulatory measures in place</h2>
<p>In the U.S., the Marlboro Man can no longer gallop across <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/federal-cigarette-labeling-advertising-act">the nation’s television airwaves</a>. Alcohol ads <a href="https://alcohol.org/laws/marketing-to-the-public/">can’t contain</a> statements that are misleading, patently false or target those who are underage.</p>
<p>However, there are currently no such federal guidelines for gambling ads. Major League Baseball, which banned Pete Rose and locked him out of the Hall of Fame for gambling, openly sanctions <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2021/08/10/why-nearly-all-mlb-ballparks-will-have-a-sportsbook-attached-to-it-in-the-future/?sh=52ba50cb36d8">sports books attached to stadiums</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianred/2021/01/12/major-league-baseball-teams-and-a-new-revenue-stream-online-gaming-business-partners/?sh=a0866755ef95">partnerships with gambling operators</a>. The same goes for the NFL and most of its teams, with former stars like Eli Manning <a href="https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/23/see-it-new-york-giants-legend-eli-manning-appears-new-caesars-ad-with-brothers/">encouraging betting</a> in ads and Pro Bowl wide receiver Davonte Adams becoming the <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/news/davante-adams-likely-first-active-nfl-player-with-gambling-related-sponsor">first active player</a> with a gambling sponsor.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man holding betting slip." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A man holds a betting slip on the first day of legal sports betting in New Jersey on June 14, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/professional-odds-maker-stu-feiner-holds-up-a-betting-slip-news-photo/974402508?phrase=sports%20gambling%20new%20jersey&adppopup=true">Dominick Reuter/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Those who recognize they have a gambling problem also have no assurances that they can find help. </p>
<p>Gambling treatment services <a href="https://naadgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NAADGS_2021_Survey_of_Publicly_Funded_Problem_Gambling_Services_in_the_United_States_v2.pdf">vary by state</a>, from specially trained, culturally competent counselors in a few states to a total lack of services in others. Most children and teens receive no education in schools about problem gambling as they do for drugs and alcohol. Some universities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/business/caesars-sports-betting-universities-colleges.html">are openly partnering with gambling companies</a> and sponsoring esports competitions, which invite underage betting.</p>
<p>The federal government is noticeably silent on a glamorized addiction. Nationally, there are no federal policies, prohibitions or federally funded research or <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">prevention programs</a>, despite all the revenue generated by taxes on gambling winnings.</p>
<p>Internationally, gambling-related abuses and tragedies have led countries <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">like Australia and the U.K.</a> to enact new regulations and significant penalties for operators. The U.K., for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2022.0020">requires operators to conduct affordability checks</a> on patrons to ensure they can afford their losses and prohibits gambling advertising by athletes, celebrities or social media influencers who appeal to children and teens.</p>
<p>I think it’s only a matter of time before similar proposals make their way to the U.S. In the meantime, however, millions of people in more than half the country will legally lay their hard-earned money on the line for a chance to win big on Sunday.</p>
<p>Hopefully, they can afford to lose.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197865/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lia Nower has been a member of advisory boards, and has conducted research and grant reviews for U.S. and international governments, government-related agencies, private firms, and industry operators. These include New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement & Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Ohio's Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Camelot (United Kingdom), Crown Casino (Australia), the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (Canada), Churchill Downs (U.S.), Aristocrat Leisure (Australia), the New York Council on Problem Gambling, Publiedit (Italy) and the National Council on Problem Gambling (U.S.).</span></em></p>Researchers who analyzed every sports bet placed online since 2018 found that young adults are the fastest-growing group of bettors, with more than 70% of them placing in-game bets.Lia Nower, Professor and Director, Center for Gambling Studies, Rutgers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1982852023-02-07T13:35:20Z2023-02-07T13:35:20ZI treat people with gambling disorder – and I’m starting to see more and more young men who are betting on sports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508172/original/file-20230204-5389-wfiqrk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C16%2C1014%2C793&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many young sports bettors think they're knowledgeable enough to 'beat the system.'</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Lehr/The Conversation via DALL-E 2</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OcbcVXYAAAAJ&hl=en">As a therapist who treats people with gambling problems</a>, I’ve noticed a shift over the past few years – not only in the profile of the typical clients I treat, but also in the way their gambling problems develop.</p>
<p>In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court made the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/politics/sports-betting-ncaa-supreme-court/index.html">landmark decision</a> to allow states to legalize sports wagering. Tennessee, where I am studying clinical psychology, took advantage of this ruling, and in late 2020, the state legalized <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/in-depth/money/2020/10/31/tennessee-sports-betting-online-fanduel-draftkings-betmgm-action-247/6056604002/">online and mobile sports betting</a>.</p>
<p>With most <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/sportsbook-5217715">sportsbooks</a> offering betting apps, my clients are finding it more difficult to quit gambling than ever before. Unlike other forms of gambling, such as playing roulette or slots at a casino, these apps are on their phones and in their pockets, accompanying them wherever they go.</p>
<p>This availability makes it that much harder to resist any urges that might arise – and presents unique challenges for helping clients reduce their gambling.</p>
<h2>A new type of client emerges</h2>
<p>When I first started treating people for gambling disorder in 2019, my clients were usually older and gambled in casinos, with slot machines and card games among their favorite forms of gambling. They also tended to be poorer and often talked about how they began gambling to make some side money, viewing it as a second job. Many of them had retired and would say things like, “Going to the casino gets me out of the house” or “The casino is like my ‘Cheers’” – a nod to the popular watering hole in the eponymous sitcom. </p>
<p>That all changed when sports betting was legalized in Tennessee in November 2020.</p>
<p>Since then, I’ve noticed that my average client has started to look different. I’m now providing therapy to younger men, mostly in their 20s, who are seeking treatment for problems with sports betting. These clients tend to earn more money and be wealthier than my previous clients – a pattern that sports betting <a href="https://theconversation.com/access-to-sports-betting-in-the-us-has-exploded-since-2018-and-were-just-starting-to-learn-about-the-effects-192055">researchers have observed</a>.</p>
<p>Several of them reported being avid sports fans or having a competitive streak. And they thought they could “beat the system” due to their extensive sports knowledge.</p>
<p>Many of them started betting on sports after hearing promotions for various betting companies. Even if you’re a casual sports fan with no interest in betting, you can’t miss these ads, which regularly air during televised sporting events. For example, some ads for FanDuel, one of the more popular sports betting apps, highlight a “No Sweat First Bet,” with <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/education/what-does-each-sportsbook-bonus-mean">new users eligible for a risk-free bet of up to $1,000</a>.</p>
<p>There’s also a social element to sports betting. One client talked about betting on sports as a way to bond with relatives who also gambled. Similarly, a few college students I have treated told me that they started betting because they wanted to fit in with their fraternity brothers.</p>
<h2>The apps don’t make it easy to set limits</h2>
<p>But once gambling issues begin, it can be hard for these clients to stop. Most of them started by placing smaller bets on a single outcome. Over time, they start to bet more to recoup their losses. Before they knew it, their bets had increased, with many not realizing how this change even happened.</p>
<p>Betting apps are available on any smartphone and are connected to clients’ bank accounts, making it quick and easy to deposit more funds. This often leads clients to lose track of how much money they have lost. As one client told me, “It’s easier to spend money on these apps because you never really see it. The transactions are all done electronically.”</p>
<p>These apps do not make it easy for those with gambling problems to sign up for cool-off periods or self-exclusion. <a href="https://casino.draftkings.com/responsible-gaming-on-draftkings?wpsrc=Organic%20Search&wpaffn=Google&wpkw=https%3A%2F%2Fcasino.draftkings.com%2Fresponsible-gaming-on-draftkings&wpcn=responsible-gaming-on-draftkings">Cool-off periods</a> allow the user to set a time frame – from a few hours to several months – where they will be unable to log into their betting account. <a href="https://www.responsiblegambling.org/for-the-public/problem-gambling-help/self-exclusion/">Self-exclusion</a> allows the user to ban themselves from the app for longer periods of time. Specific exclusion lengths differ by state. <a href="https://www.playtenn.com/tennessee-sportsbook-self-exclusion/#:%7E:text=You%20can%20choose%20to%20exclude,consider%20your%20length%20of%20exclusion.">In Tennessee</a>, there are one-year, five-year and lifetime ban options. </p>
<p>While many apps have these features, my clients often have to search online for this information, and even when they do find it, they can’t figure out how to put these guardrails in place. If they wish to set a cool-off period or ban themselves from all sports betting apps, they must do so from each app, one at a time, which can be tedious.</p>
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<h2>It’s impossible to avoid sports and smartphones</h2>
<p>Sports betting presents unique challenges <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">for treating gambling problems</a>. </p>
<p>In addiction treatment, therapists, like me, often encourage clients to fill their time with activities that aren’t connected to gambling or to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.04.006">avoid situations where they may be likely to gamble</a>. But when gambling is available at the touch of a button, it becomes harder to determine what situations may lead to gambling, which makes it harder to figure out what to avoid.</p>
<p>Before the apps, clients had to make plans for how and when to gamble. Now, all they have to do is pick up their phone and open an app. It is also incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to ask a client to stop using their smartphone or stop watching sports.</p>
<p>This is why I often tailor treatment to each client’s needs and circumstances. Some may wish to quit altogether, while others may simply want to cut back on their gambling. This has forced me to consider other possible alternatives, such as showing them how to set screen time limits for sportsbook apps or talking about strategies to watch less sports.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9471-4">Most people</a> who bet on sports don’t develop gambling problems. But with so few regulations in place – advertising or otherwise – those who are the most at risk are especially vulnerable to developing problems.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198285/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tori Horn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the past, typical clients tended to be retirees living on fixed incomes who played slots and card games.Tori Horn, PhD Student in Clinical Psychology, University of MemphisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1920552022-10-31T15:31:12Z2022-10-31T15:31:12ZAccess to sports betting in the US has exploded since 2018 – and we’re just starting to learn about the effects<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492141/original/file-20221027-25221-351sfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C26%2C5973%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Since 2018, more than 30 states in the U.S. have legalized sports betting.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/bettting-on-sports-royalty-free-image/1131390744?phrase=sports betting&adppopup=true">Seth Love/iStock via Getty Images.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For most of U.S. history, sports betting was rare.</p>
<p>Some people certainly bet on sports illegally via a bookie, or placed bets in the few places where it was legal, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/29/history-of-sports-gambling/">such as Nevada</a>. </p>
<p>However, gambling policy took a sharp turn in 2018, when <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-476_dbfi.pdf">the Supreme Court decided</a> that each state in the U.S. had the right to legalize or prohibit sports wagering as they saw fit.</p>
<p>The effects of this ruling were swift, with many states introducing legislation to legalize sports betting within months. <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">Four years later</a>, more than 30 states have legalized sports betting, and many more are working to legalize it in the immediate future.</p>
<p>This wave of legalized sports betting has opened the floodgates for new gambling opportunities. Not surprisingly, many Americans <a href="https://www.hbo.com/real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel/season-28/1-real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel-january-2022">have expressed concern</a> that the burgeoning access to sports wagering will create an influx of people with new gambling problems.</p>
<p>We’re <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UMwkCl8AAAAJ&hl=en">clinical psychologists</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=gCnmj3kAAAAJ&hl=en">professors</a> who research behavioral addictions such as compulsive sexual behavior disorder and gambling disorder. Recently, we’ve begun a new line of research into sports wagering in the U.S. <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797990">Our initial findings</a> highlight how many Americans are gambling on sports, as well as the demographic most likely to do so.</p>
<h2>The many forms of sports betting</h2>
<p>Before talking about that study, it’s important to clarify what we mean when we talk about sports betting. Like most other types of gambling, it can take many different forms. <a href="https://gaming.library.unlv.edu/infographs/types_sports_betting.pdf">Traditional sports betting</a> refers to betting on the outcomes of sporting events. These bets could be placed on who wins a game, how many points the game was decided by, or the game’s total combined score.</p>
<p>Beyond the traditional form, sports betting can also involve <a href="https://insidersbettingdigest.com/esports/">betting on esports</a>, which is professional, competitive video game play. It may also involve <a href="https://sites.psu.edu/pfsports/what-are-fantasy-sports/">paid fantasy league play</a>, which refers to people “drafting” virtual teams of players and competing against other participants’ virtual teams over the course of a sports season. </p>
<p>Finally, sports betting may also involve participating in <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-rise-of-daily-fantasy-sports-will-mean-for-problem-gambling-79998">daily fantasy league play</a>. This form of betting is similar to regular fantasy leagues, but players select new teams weekly and compete week to week, rather than throughout a whole season.</p>
<h2>Young men at risk</h2>
<p>In early 2022, we embarked upon a long-term research project to study who is gambling on sports in the U.S. and how their gambling behaviors change over time. </p>
<p>We worked with the polling and data analytics firm <a href="https://today.yougov.com/about/about/?sourceid=1178109&rlid=sitelink&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSP5s8MyObD6K1AVwfS6BJf2M1jGk9HGy5AaFxiG691DC8Cz3IbbjfcRoCt8wQAvD_BwE">YouGov America</a> to recruit a nationally representative sample of over 2,800 American adults. We also collected another representative sample of over 1,500 American adults who had recently bet on sports. </p>
<p>We surveyed these two samples, asking them about their sports betting behaviors and a range of other mental health concerns. We also asked about symptoms of <a href="https://www.icrg.org/press-room/media-kit/faq/what-problem-or-pathological-gambling">gambling disorder</a>, which is an addictive disorder characterized by excessive or out-of-control gambling behavior. </p>
<p>We have just published <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797990">our first round of findings from the early stages of this work</a>.</p>
<p>In this initial paper, we tried to identify who was most likely to gamble on sports and how sports gambling related to problem gambling. Importantly, we did not just ask these people if they had “bet on sports.” We also asked about participating in fantasy sports, daily fantasy sports leagues and betting on esports. </p>
<p>In our nationally representative sample, we found that only a fraction of Americans have bet on sports recently. Although 17.2% of Americans reported having bet on sports in their lifetime, only 6.2% reported that they had done so in the past year. Similarly, only 5.9% reported participating in a paid fantasy sports league over the past year, only 4.2% reported being involved in daily fantasy sports leagues and only 4.1% reported betting on esports in the past year. </p>
<p>In short, sports betting is still a relatively rare activity in the U.S., and our data does not necessarily show increases from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021019915591">prevalence rates 20 years ago</a>.</p>
<p>But we also looked at who was most likely to bet on sports. Across all forms of sports betting, we found that younger men with college degrees and higher incomes were more likely to bet on sports than other Americans.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Bar patrons celebrate while watching a baseball game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">College-educated young men with good-paying jobs is the group most likely to bet on sports.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/new-york-yankees-fans-watch-them-play-the-philadelphia-news-photo/92620216?phrase=fans%20watching%20baseball%20bar&adppopup=true">Jared Wickerham/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, we examined whether sports betting was related to symptoms of gambling disorder. Again, our results were quite clear: Traditional sports betting, daily fantasy league play, and betting on esports were all associated with much higher odds of being categorized as a moderate or high-risk gambler. </p>
<p>Simply put, these forms of sports betting are risk factors for also having problems with gambling. </p>
<h2>An eye toward the future</h2>
<p>Taken together, our findings do not necessarily suggest that sports betting is resulting in a wave of new gamblers across the country. Also, among those who do bet on sports, most seem to be doing so without ill effects. </p>
<p>Yet, sports betting is associated with symptoms of gambling disorder, which means this is a risky behavior – perhaps similar to alcohol use or other forms of gambling, like playing slot machines. Most people who engage in any of these behaviors will do so without problems. But for some people, access to sports gambling will likely result in the development of symptoms of gambling disorder. </p>
<p>As both researchers and clinicians, we are especially worried about this possibility: Any increase in people seeking help for gambling disorders could overwhelm the nation’s treatment centers, <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/treatment-for-problem-gamblers-not-a-sure-bet-1">which already find themselves overextended and underfunded</a>.</p>
<p>For this reason, we believe it’s important to quickly identify people who are at risk of developing gambling problems. This is one of our main objectives in our ongoing study of sports wagering. By identifying who is most likely to develop a gambling problem, we hope to influence policymakers and gambling industry professionals to help introduce safeguards protecting those at risk.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192055/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua B. Grubbs receives funding from the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the Kindbridge Research Institute, and the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio. Joshua B. Grubbs is also a member of the Problem Gambling Advisory Board for the state of Ohio.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shane Kraus receives funding from the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the Nevada Problem Gambling Project, and Kindbridge Research Institute. He also serves on the Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling for the state of Nevada.</span></em></p>Any increase in people seeking help for gambling disorders could overwhelm the nation’s treatment centers, which already find themselves overextended and underfunded.Joshua B. Grubbs, Associate Professor of Psychology, Bowling Green State UniversityShane Kraus, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las VegasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1865742022-07-18T13:49:42Z2022-07-18T13:49:42ZNigeria’s large, youthful population could be an asset or a burden<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473194/original/file-20220708-21-ts9vsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nigeria's large population of young people may become a burden if not healthy and well educated.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/vendor-carries-nigerian-national-flags-on-october-1-2015-as-news-photo/490811636?adppopup=true">Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With a population estimated at <a href="https://guardian.ng/business-services/industry/nigerias-population-now-206m-says-npc/">206 million in 2020</a>, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/">seventh in the world</a>.</p>
<p>The country’s <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_LqDbc249sq_bo_Cmpa8VSZBmk8fHJSj/view">population is growing at 2.6% a year</a>, one of the fastest rates globally. At this rate, Nigeria’s population could double within the next 25 to 30 years. </p>
<p>Nigeria’s population structure is potentially an economic asset. The country has the largest <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/nigeria-population/">population of youth</a> in the world, with a median age of 18.1 years. <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/nigeria-population/">About</a> 70% of the population are under 30, and 42% are under the age of 15. </p>
<p>The size and youthfulness of the population offer great potential to expand Nigeria’s capacity as the regional economic hub of Africa and globally. A young, large population could be an economic asset because population growth and urbanisation go together and <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/can-rapid-population-growth-be-good-for-economic-development">economic development is closely correlated with urbanisation</a>. Population growth increases density and, together with rural-urban migration, creates higher urban agglomeration. This can help companies in producing goods in larger numbers and more cheaply, serving a larger number of low-income customers. </p>
<p>But the potential needs to be properly harnessed. Leaders must invest (through health and education) and adopt strong policies to create an environment where this human resource is used optimally. Such was the case among the Asian Tiger countries, which invested massively in technology, infrastructure and education.</p>
<p>Nigeria is, by every measure of socioeconomic progress, failing to develop its endowment of young people. Millions of young people have a poor quality of life, including a lack of education, low living standards and poor health outcomes. </p>
<p>Nigeria is not reaping the benefits of its current population structure and must do more to mitigate the negatives. A large population of unskilled, economically unproductive, unhealthy and poorly educated young people is also a burden to society.</p>
<h2>Poor human development</h2>
<p>Nigeria was ranked 158 of 185 countries in the <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/NGA.pdf">2019 Human Development Index</a>. A <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/03/21/afw-deep-structural-reforms-guided-by-evidence-are-urgently-needed-to-lift-millions-of-nigerians-out-of-poverty#:%7E:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%20which,below%20the%20national%20poverty%20line.">2022 World Bank report</a> also says about 40% of Nigerians live below the national poverty line of U$1.90 per day and about 95.2 million are in poverty. About <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/agriculture/agric-news/516720-19-4-million-nigerians-to-face-food-insecurity-by-august-2022-fao.html">19.4 million Nigerians</a> are likely to face food insecurity in 2022. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education">UNICEF</a>, Nigeria accounts for 20% of the world’s children who are out of school. In absolute terms, about 10.5 million children, the majority of whom are girls, do not have access to education in Nigeria.</p>
<p><a href="https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/856">Unemployment is high at 33.3%</a>. Most of those who are unemployed are women and young people. Of those with jobs, over 20% are underemployed as they don’t earn enough.</p>
<h2>Health indicators</h2>
<p>Most of the health indicators in Nigeria are disturbing. Health is key for human development and this means that Nigeria is lagging behind in development.</p>
<p>Health facilities are at sub-optimal levels. Nigerians <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2821%2902488-0">currently</a> have a lower life expectancy (54 years) than many of their neighbours. The country’s burden of chronic and infectious diseases is high. While infectious diseases remain the primary causes of death in the country, <a href="https://www.afro.who.int/news/nigeria-fulfils-commitment-launches-plan-prevention-and-control-non-communicable-diseases">non-communicable diseases account for 3 out of every 10 deaths</a>.</p>
<p>While Nigeria is failing to develop her human capital, Nigerians are making more babies, adding to the potential burden.</p>
<h2>Fertility</h2>
<p>The national fertility rate stands at <a href="https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/SR264/SR264.pdf">about</a> 5 children per woman. There are regional variations. It is also lower in urban areas (4.5) than in rural areas (5.9); lower in the Southwest (3.9) than in the Northwest (6.6). In other words, poorer households are worse off, particularly those in the rural areas. Also, poor women and those with no or low education are disproportionately affected.</p>
<p>There were <a href="https://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR359/FR359.pdf">20 adolescent mothers (aged 15-19) among every 100 adolescent girls </a> in Nigeria, with <a href="https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-022-00789-3">wide variations</a> across states and regions. This is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/gha.v8.29745">among the highest in the world</a> and is associated with high risk births, adverse social-economic consequences, limited opportunities and a likely pathway to <a href="http://www.ghheadlines.com/agency/ghana-news-agency/20191112/132518617/adolescent-parenthood-escalates-generational-poverty-nigerian-professor">intergenerational poverty</a>. </p>
<p>The unmet need for modern contraception has been estimated at <a href="https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/SR264/SR264.pdf">over 20%</a>. Modern contraceptives help to prevent unwanted pregnancy. This is imperative for improving maternal and child health. A lack of access to contraception perpetuates the high maternal and infant mortality, and high fertility in the country.</p>
<p>Currently, the infant mortality <a href="https://data.unicef.org/country/nga/#/">is 72 deaths per 1,000 live births</a>. Maternal mortality is estimated at 512 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The national target is to reduce maternal mortality to 72 per 100,000 live births and zero deaths by 2030. </p>
<h2>High dependency</h2>
<p>Nigeria has a relatively high and growing population of dependants. This could put a strain on those who provide for them. Young people account for a bigger share of the dependants, a situation which will get worse unless there is a deliberate public policy to address high fertility.</p>
<p>The age structure of the population suggests that for every 100 people in the economically active age group (15-64), there are 86 dependants (under 15 and over 64). This compares with the <a href="https://www.worldeconomics.com/Country-Data/">78.1 average</a> for the African continent, 52 for South Africa.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.65UP.TO?end=2021&locations=NG&start=2021&view=bar">about 6 million people aged over 65</a>. Though this equates to only 3% of population, it is numerically larger than the population of some states in Nigeria. In 2020, <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1203462/dependency-ratio-in-nigeria/#:%7E:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20elderly%20dependency,(15%20to%2064%20years).">the elderly dependency ratio in Nigeria stood at 5.1</a>. This means that there were about five people aged 65 years and older that depend on every 100 people of working age (15 to 64 years). This number of dependants, in addition to children, can reduce the capacity of the working age population to save and invest. </p>
<p>Other groups with high dependency in Nigeria are those with disabilities and the displaced. </p>
<p>The percentage of disabled Nigerians stands at <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_LqDbc249sq_bo_Cmpa8VSZBmk8fHJSj/view">about</a> 2.3%, comparable to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2018.1556491">Ghana’s 3%</a>, but far less than <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=percentage+of+disability+in+south+africa+population&oq=percentage+of+disability+in+south+africa+population&aqs=chrome..69i57.13625j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">South Africa’s 7.5%</a>. But Nigeria <a href="https://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/features/facts-figures-disabilities-in-developing-countries-1/">doesn’t have plans</a> for addressing the needs of its disabled.</p>
<p>The country is also home to <a href="https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/nga#_ga=2.105709184.2034587582.1657237059-239904064.1657237059">over 3 million internally displaced people</a> and <a href="https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/nga#_ga=2.105709184.2034587582.1657237059-239904064.1657237059">over 82,000 international refugees</a>, mostly from neighbouring countries.</p>
<h2>Demographic dividend</h2>
<p>Nigeria needs to balance population growth with economic prosperity. This makes it possible to achieve a demographic dividend – faster economic growth arising from a favourable population age structure and favourable social and economic policies. </p>
<p>Some countries in Asia including <a href="https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/events/pdf/expert/9/wang.pdf">China</a>, <a href="https://www.cgdev.org/blog/what-comes-after-demographic-dividend-east-asia-finding-out">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/99030/2005_06_East_Asian_Economic.pdf">South Korea</a> and <a href="https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/99030/2005_06_East_Asian_Economic.pdf">Singapore</a> have benefited substantially from this. Nigeria should aim to make a transition to low birth and death rates. Government at all levels must invest towards addressing high fertility and mortality. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nigerias-2022-census-is-overdue-but-preparation-is-in-doubt-177781">Nigeria's 2022 census is overdue but preparation is in doubt</a>
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<p>Nigerians need to embrace family planning and address some of the root causes of high fertility, including sociocultural factors. A reduction in fertility by one child per childbearing woman <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(12)60827-7.pdf">would lead to a 13% increase</a> in Nigeria’s GDP per capita in 20 years or a 25% increase over 50 years.</p>
<p>As stated in the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_LqDbc249sq_bo_Cmpa8VSZBmk8fHJSj/view">population policy document</a>, Nigeria should aim to reduce fertility from the current 5.3% to 4.3% by 2030. Family planning should be available to all and there should be no maternal deaths by 2030.</p>
<p>Education is key to good health, empowerment, employment and peaceful societies. It offers the best return on investment. Graduates in sub-Saharan Africa earn <a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/442521523465644318/pdf/WPS8402.pdf">21% more than</a> those without tertiary education.</p>
<p>Nigeria must prioritise investment in education, health and infrastructure to harness the opportunities of its huge population. But Nigerians have a role to play too. They must make rational decisions and choices. These include choices about investment in quality of life, healthy living, fertility reduction and the empowerment of young people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186574/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>There is nothing to disclose.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nigeria must prioritise investment in education, health and infrastructure to harness the opportunities of its huge population.Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi, Professor of Demography and Social Statistics., Obafemi Awolowo UniversityJacob Wale Mobolaji, Lecturer, Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1437452020-08-09T20:13:12Z2020-08-09T20:13:12ZYoung men are more likely to believe COVID-19 myths. So how do we actually reach them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351231/original/file-20200805-237-iy3f8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C5%2C997%2C660&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/three-friends-sitting-together-321695663">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If the media is anything to go by, you’d think people who believe coronavirus myths are white, middle-aged women called <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-a-name-well-quite-a-bit-if-your-name-is-karen-or-jack-john-jeff-dolly-biddy-meg-143194">Karen</a>.</p>
<p>But our <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.04.20168583v1">new study</a> shows a different picture. We found men and people aged 18-25 are more likely to believe COVID-19 myths. We also found an increase among people from a non-English speaking background. </p>
<p>While we’ve <a href="https://theconversation.com/multilingual-australia-is-missing-out-on-vital-covid-19-information-no-wonder-local-councils-and-businesses-are-stepping-in-141362">heard recently</a> about the importance of public health messages reaching people whose first language isn’t English, we’ve heard less about reaching young men.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-asked-multicultural-communities-how-best-to-communicate-covid-19-advice-heres-what-they-told-us-142719">We asked multicultural communities how best to communicate COVID-19 advice. Here's what they told us</a>
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<h2>What did we find?</h2>
<p><a href="https://sydneyhealthliteracylab.org.au/projects/">Sydney Health Literacy Lab</a> has been running a national COVID-19 survey of more than 1,000 social media users each month since Australia’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/02/australias-coronavirus-lockdown-the-first-50-days">first lockdown</a>.</p>
<p>A few weeks in, our initial survey <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.03.20121814v1.full.pdf">showed</a> younger people and men were more likely to think the benefit of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-herd-immunity-route-to-fighting-coronavirus-is-unethical-and-potentially-dangerous-133765">herd immunity</a> was covered up, and the threat of COVID-19 was exaggerated. </p>
<p>People who agreed with such statements were <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473-3099(20)30559-4.pdf">less likely</a> to want to receive a future COVID-19 vaccine.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-herd-immunity-route-to-fighting-coronavirus-is-unethical-and-potentially-dangerous-133765">The 'herd immunity' route to fighting coronavirus is unethical and potentially dangerous</a>
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<p>In June, after restrictions eased, we asked social media users about more specific <a href="https://www.australia.gov.au/covid-19-mythbusting">myths</a>. We found:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>men and younger people were more likely to believe prevention myths, such as hot temperatures or UV light being able to kill the virus that causes COVID-19</p></li>
<li><p>people with lower education and more social disadvantage were more likely to believe causation myths, such as 5G being used to spread the virus</p></li>
<li><p>younger people were more likely to believe cure myths, such as vitamin C and hydroxychloroquine being effective treatments.</p></li>
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<p>We need more targeted research with young Australians, and men in particular, about why some of them believe these myths and what might change their mind.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-5g-radiation-doesnt-cause-or-spread-the-coronavirus-saying-it-does-is-destructive-135695">No, 5G radiation doesn't cause or spread the coronavirus. Saying it does is destructive</a>
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<p>Although our research has yet to be formally peer-reviewed, it reflects what other researchers have found, both in Australia and internationally.</p>
<p>An <a href="https://essentialvision.com.au/belief-in-conspiracy-theories">Australian poll</a> in May found similar patterns, in which men and younger people believed a range of myths more than other groups. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7298098/">In the UK</a>, younger people are more likely to hold conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/08/nearly-three-in-ten-americans-believe-covid-19-was-made-in-a-lab/">American men</a> are also more likely to agree with COVID-19 conspiracy theories than women.</p>
<h2>Why is it important to reach this demographic?</h2>
<p>We need to reach young people with health messaging for several reasons. In Australia, young people:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>are less likely to have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0962-9">symptoms</a>, so they are less likely to meet testing criteria such as having a sore throat, fever or cough</p></li>
<li><p>when they do present for testing, are more likely to <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/covid-19-cases-by-age-group-and-sex">test positive</a></p></li>
<li><p>are likely to have more <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us/coronavirus-cases-young-people.html">social contacts</a> through seeing friends more often or having service jobs. So the potential for spreading COVID-19 is greater, putting extra <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/state-confronts-new-millennial-bug-as-coronavirus-cases-rise-among-young-20200628-p5571c.html">pressure on contact tracing</a></p></li>
<li><p>can potentially be <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/victoria-coronavirus-leaves-20-young-people-in-hospital-three-in-intensive-care-c-1215309">hospitalised with COVID-19</a>, some with <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/hospitals-rise-younger-admissions-covid-19-raising-doctors/story?id=71775378">severe complications</a> despite their age.</p></li>
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<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1289854244636434432"}"></div></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/daniel-andrews-urges-young-victorians-to-do-the-right-thing">Victorian</a> and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/berejiklian-urges-young-people-to-limit-socialising-with-state-on-a-knife-s-edge-20200806-p55j32.html">New South Wales</a> premiers have appealed to young people to limit socialising.</p>
<p>But is this enough when young people are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-08-07/why-young-people-are-avoiding-covid-news/12531468">losing interest in COVID-19 news</a>? How many 20-year-old men follow Daniel Andrews on Twitter, or watch Gladys Berejiklian on television?</p>
<h2>How can we reach young people?</h2>
<p>We need to involve young people in the design of COVID-19 messages to get the delivery right, if we are to convince them to socialise less and follow prevention advice. We need to <a href="https://lens.monash.edu/@politics-society/2020/07/07/1380791/coronavirus-blaming-millennials-for-spreading-covid-19-fails-to-see-the-bigger-picture">include them rather than blame them</a>. </p>
<p>We can do this by testing our communications on young people or running consumer focus groups before releasing them to the public. We can include young people on public health communications teams.</p>
<p>We can also borrow strategies from marketing. For example, we know how <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50821476">tobacco companies use social media</a> to effectively target young people. Paying popular influencers on platforms such as <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/the-young-people-caught-in-a-global-tiktok-tussle-20200723-p55eym.html">TikTok</a> to promote reliable information is one option.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/most-adults-have-never-heard-of-tiktok-thats-by-design-119815">Most adults have never heard of TikTok. That's by design</a>
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<p>We can target specific communities to reach young men who might not access mainstream media, for instance, gamers who have many followers on YouTube.</p>
<p>We also know humour can be <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2020/06/to-challenge-misguided-beliefs-about-science-try-satire/">more effective</a> than serious messages to counteract science myths.</p>
<h2>Some great examples</h2>
<p>There are social media campaigns happening right now to address COVID-19, which might reach more young men than traditional public health methods. </p>
<p>NSW Health has recently started a campaign <a href="https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1287991175622922240">#Itest4NSW</a> encouraging young people to upload videos to social media in support of COVID-19 testing.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1287991175622922240"}"></div></p>
<p>The United Nations is running the global <a href="https://shareverified.com/en">Verified</a> campaign involving an army of volunteers to help spread more reliable information on social media. This may be a way to reach <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-03-21/coronavirus-health-misinformation-spreading-whatsapp-text-groups/12066386">private groups</a> on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, where misinformation spreads under the radar. </p>
<p>Telstra is using Australian comedian <a href="https://twitter.com/Telstra/status/1290830788900950016">Mark Humphries</a> to address 5G myths in a satirical way (although this would probably have more credibility if it didn’t come from a vested interest).</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MXOz0L_PBNs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Telstra is using comedian Mark Humphries to dispel 5G coronavirus myths.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Finally, tech companies like Facebook are partnering with health organisations to <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2020/updating-our-approach-to-misleading-information.html">flag misleading content</a> and prioritise more <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-built-a-new-center-to-direct-people-to-accurate-coronavirus-information/">reliable information</a>. But this is just a start to address the huge problem of misinformation in health. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-stop-covid-19-misinformation-spreading-on-social-media-134396">Why is it so hard to stop COVID-19 misinformation spreading on social media?</a>
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<h2>But we need more</h2>
<p>We can’t expect young men to access reliable COVID-19 messages from people they don’t know, through media they don’t use. To reach them, we need to build new partnerships with the influencers they trust and the social media companies that control their information. </p>
<p>It’s time to change our approach to public health communication, to counteract misinformation and ensure all communities can access, understand and act on reliable COVID-19 prevention advice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carissa Bonner receives funding from the NHMRC, Heart Foundation, RACGP, Diabetes Australia, and Marie Bashir Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brooke Nickel and Kristen Pickles do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We can’t expect young men to access reliable COVID-19 messages from people they don’t know, through media they don’t use.Carissa Bonner, Research Fellow, University of SydneyBrooke Nickel, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of SydneyKristen Pickles, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1205872019-07-29T20:24:37Z2019-07-29T20:24:37ZOver 50% of young Australian adults still live with their parents – and the numbers are climbing faster for women<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285970/original/file-20190729-43136-vp0uw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C0%2C7315%2C4912&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">More than 60% of Victorian young adults live with their parents, followed by 56% in New South Wales and about 53% in the other four states. In Queensland, the proportion of young adults living at home rose from 31% in 2001 to 52% in 2017.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda/publications/hilda-statistical-reports">latest Housing Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) Survey data</a> confirm a sustained trend towards young adults staying in the family home longer.</p>
<p>The HILDA Survey tells the story of the same group of Australians over the course of their lives. Starting in 2001, the survey now tracks more than 17,500 people in 9,500 households.</p>
<p>In 2017, 56% of men aged 18 to 29 lived with one or both parents, up from 47% in 2001. More strikingly, over the same period, the proportion of women aged 18 to 29 living with their parents rose from 36% to 54%.</p>
<img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/668/young-people.gif?1564108309" width="100%">
<p>Growth has been particularly strong among women in their early to mid 20s. For example, in 2001, 30% of women aged 22 to 25 were living in the parental home, while in 2017, 58% were doing so. In other words, the gap between young women and young men is shrinking.</p>
<p>Traditionally, women have partnered and had children at younger ages than men. That’s linked to the fact that women are more likely, on average, to leave the parental home at a younger age than men.</p>
<p>The tendency for women to marry and have children at younger ages still exists, but it no longer translates to a greater propensity of young adult women to be living apart from their parents.</p>
<p>So what’s the average age that young people move out? It’s complicated. In our report, we did consider the average age of moving out – but looking at it this way means you’re only considering young adults who have <em>already</em> moved out. For women, this was 22.1 in 2001 and 24.2 in 2017. For men, it was 23.1 in 2001 and 23.5 in 2017. </p>
<p>But this doesn’t accurately convey the magnitude of change. A growing proportion of young adults have not moved out at all. Consequently, the average age of moving out is considerably higher and has grown more than these numbers suggest.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hilda-survey-reveals-striking-gender-and-age-divide-in-financial-literacy-test-yourself-with-this-quiz-100451">HILDA Survey reveals striking gender and age divide in financial literacy. Test yourself with this quiz</a>
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<h2>Rate is high in Victoria, growing fast in Queensland</h2>
<p>The trend is happening right across the country, although there are regional differences. </p>
<p>Comparing across the states, over 60% of Victorian young adults live with their parents, followed by 56% in New South Wales and approximately 53% in the other four states. </p>
<p>However, Queensland has experienced higher growth compared with most of the rest of the country, the proportion of young adults living at home rising from 31% in 2001 to 52% in 2017.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285977/original/file-20190729-43149-1y20m5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A growing proportion of young adults have not moved out at all.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Moving out is more likely if you’re young in a small town</h2>
<p>Looking at the country versus the city, the propensity to be living in the parental home is, perhaps surprisingly, relatively similar in non-urban areas compared with the major cities. </p>
<p>It is towns and cities of less than 100,000 that stand out as having lower rates of living with one’s parents. This is consistent with housing costs being lower in those regions compared with the major urban centres.</p>
<p>Housing costs are also relatively low in non-urban areas, so you might think that the proportion of young adults living with their parents should also be lower in these regions. But young people in the country tend to move to the city, so they show up in the data as living in urban areas.</p>
<p>There has been a slight increase in women moving back into the parental home, particularly among those aged in their early 20s. However, the data tell us that most of the growth in young people living with parents has been among those young adults who never moved out in the first place. </p>
<h2>Housing costs, casual work, marriage delayed</h2>
<p>A number of mutually reinforcing economic and social factors are likely to be driving the overall trend towards staying in the parental home longer.</p>
<p>Of course, the cost of housing is a big factor, and it’s been rising faster than inflation and incomes. </p>
<p>It appears harder these days for young people to find full-time permanent employment opportunities. In particular, casual employment has risen for young adult men and women since around 2009; by comparison, it has only increased slightly for older men and has actually declined for older women.</p>
<p>There has also been growth in education participation of young adults, especially among those aged 25 and under. Interestingly, however, among those aged 18-21, the proportion of those living with their parents engaged in full-time education has fallen in recent years. This may reflect the growing importance of housing costs and the labour market in keeping young adults at home. The growth in education participation appears to have mainly been a factor up until 2011. </p>
<p>Changes in the preferences of young adults may also be a factor. It is possible that our longer life expectancy is increasing the desire to “live a little” before taking on the challenges and responsibilities traditionally associated with adulthood.</p>
<p>Certainly, young adults seem to be in less of a hurry to settle down and have children. For example, the median age at marriage has <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3310.0Main%20Features32017?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3310.0&issue=2017&num=&view=">risen by 1.5 years</a> since the turn of the century for both men and women; similarly, the average age of mothers at first birth has been creeping upwards and is <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/australias-mothers-babies-2015-in-brief/contents/table-of-contents">now around 29</a>. </p>
<p>It is difficult to ascertain the relative importance of changing economic realities facing young adults versus changes in their preferences. </p>
<p>But one thing is clear: it could not happen without the capacity and willingness of parents to accommodate their adult children. So perhaps, ultimately, we should be looking to their parents for an explanation of this trend.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-a-reason-youre-feeling-no-better-off-than-10-years-ago-heres-what-hilda-says-about-well-being-121098">There's a reason you're feeling no better off than 10 years ago. Here's what HILDA says about well-being</a>
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</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roger Wilkins receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Esperanza Vera-Toscano does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In 2017, 56% of men aged 18 to 29 lived with one or both parents, up from 47% in 2001. And over the same period, the proportion of women aged 18 to 29 living with their parents rose from 36% to 54%.Roger Wilkins, Professorial Fellow and Deputy Director (Research), HILDA Survey, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of MelbourneEsperanza Vera-Toscano, Senior research fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1148812019-04-05T13:10:21Z2019-04-05T13:10:21ZBoxing: can the sport really help turn young men away from violent crime?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267790/original/file-20190405-180052-1bt7hkl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=75%2C66%2C6215%2C4130&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sport-people-two-men-exercising-fighting-108324914?src=lIYR0rDaCLIcZX-TExP-Pg-1-42">Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Boxing is often praised as a way of teaching discipline, anger management and teamwork. Now, with violent crime <a href="https://theconversation.com/homicide-rates-are-up-in-young-men-austerity-and-inequality-may-be-to-blame-112980">on the rise</a> in English cities – especially among young men and boys – the sport is being used to support those at risk of being drawn into knife crime and gang activity. For instance, Channel 4 News recently featured <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/how-can-the-lives-of-children-excluded-from-school-be-turned-around">a boxing academy in London</a>, which provides alternative education for young people excluded from school, led by mentors who have experienced similar challenges. </p>
<p>The government’s response to England’s knife crime surge has so far been to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/greater-powers-for-police-to-use-stop-and-search-to-tackle-violent-crime">increase the use</a> of stop-and-search without reasonable suspicion, introduce <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-announces-new-police-powers-to-deal-with-knife-crime">knife crime prevention orders</a> and most recently to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/serious-youth-violence-summit-to-launch-public-health-duty-to-tackle-serious-violence">announce legislation</a> requiring schools, hospitals and youth groups to report those young people at risk of being drawn into knife crime. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/violent-crime-decades-of-research-shows-punishing-risky-young-people-does-not-work-heres-what-does-111143">Academic research</a> shows that punitive approaches such as these can actually alienate young people and make the problem worse. Yet there is a lack of clear evidence regarding sport’s capacity to <a href="http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/youthcrimecommission/">prevent crime</a> and <a href="https://www.routledge.com/A-Wider-Social-Role-for-Sport-Whos-Keeping-the-Score/Coalter/p/book/9780415363501">promote community cohesion</a>. Boxing, in particular, divides opinion: for some, it provides an opportunity for young men in particular to escape a life of crime. Others maintain that the sport breeds violence. </p>
<p>To make the most of the positive opportunities that boxing can provide to young people, it’s crucial to understand the context of the sport – and best to proceed with caution when promoting it as a solution to serious youth violence. </p>
<h2>Escape to the gym</h2>
<p>The famous sociologist and ethnographer Loic Wacquant <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/jan/10/improbable-research-boxing-sociologist">believes that</a> the boxing gym can be a shield against the temptations and dangers of the street. He discusses how the gym can represent “an island of stability and order”, which promises to assist with the complicated and sometimes chaotic lives of those who attend. </p>
<p>Boxing is a complex sport, he says, and boxing gyms define themselves as places that can drive positive change, while simultaneously reflecting the “neighbourhood and grim realities of the ghetto”. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267792/original/file-20190405-180047-dp6a3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Fighting for respect.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuiislife/3450743002/in/photolist-6fVXF1-9CmqMn-9CmCHi-9CpPME-dHE2tS-9CpEVy-98AUEu-9CpVFU-dJmbBm-Hax1kL-fD4gMU-awbRnX-awbQWR-9CmMiD-dJfLDt-awbQrV-dHjSXd-9Cmpo4-awbQkV-9CmSLg-9Cpro1-9CpWE5-awbQCp-6fRLK4-9Cn4cM-awbRbc-Z68X62-awbRA8-9CpcgQ-9CmsNi-aweytU-9CpDd3-9CmtRe-6gcywa-aweyes-9Cn6Rn-6gxsai-dJfL7F-YkNMy4-9Cpvvm-6g78zX-9CmyUx-6fZuFS-6gckzt-6fRHSt-HLWeYC-dHPhMU-6fRQjt-6gbBUz-9CpJ2C">Kate Gardiner/Flickr.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One only has to look at the range of films – Rocky, Creed and Southpaw to name but a few – to see how the gym is venerated as a place for men to build friendships, find meaning and direction and escape the realities of poverty and street violence. But can it really stop them being the victims or perpetrators of violent crime? </p>
<p>While the local boxing gym is often viewed as an ideal place to combat social problems such as gangs, it’s important to think about what boxing actually teaches people. Researchers at the <a href="https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/mcys/">Manchester Centre for Youth Studies</a> have been involved in a number of projects researching <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/SC-10-2015-0034">youth gangs</a> and the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13676261.2015.1098770">impact of boxing</a> on young men. </p>
<h2>Respect or retribution?</h2>
<p>The young men in our projects spoke of the value they place on the ideas of respect and masculinity, which for them were strongly associated with boxing. When exploring what support they may need to desist from offending behaviours, they spoke of “being part of something”, “having a routine”, combined with “respect and confidence” and “discipline”. </p>
<p>It’s fair to say that boxing teaches young men discipline, dedication and respect; nevertheless, it also teaches them how to fight. Not every boxer uses their skills to fight outside of the gym – but more attention needs to be paid to those who do. And it’s crucial that government-funded gang interventions are only put in place when leaders have well-developed knowledge and understanding of the local context. </p>
<p>Our research highlighted that, while boxing is great at diverting young people during periods when they might otherwise get involved in criminal activity, the messages passed down in the gym can sometimes reinforce the view that violence is a practical solution to a problem. </p>
<p>Our data highlighted that hyper-masculine talk – which advocates pride and total respect – arguably contributes towards to this. Some of the messages being transmitted in boxing gyms exclude women, promote homophobia and bear similarities to attitudes that can also be heard on the street – attitudes that promote violent retaliation, as a way to gain “respect”. For example, using words such as “gay” or “girl” to emphasise cowardly behaviour, as opposed to “warrior” and “gladiator” to emphasise bravery. </p>
<p>Boxing can indeed be a great <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/343191">hook for change</a>: it gives young people a place to hang out and develop themselves, while also diverting those who might otherwise get involved in crime. But to harness its full potential we need a better of understanding of whether and how it is effective as a sport that can reduce violent crime. Funding should be made available to evaluate local boxing programmes and identify good and bad practice, to avoid a “one-glove-fits-all” policy that promote boxing as a means of addressing knife crime.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114881/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Jump receives funding from Comic Relief and Sport Relief. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Smithson receives funding from the AHRC and ESRC as part of a Knowledge Transfer Project</span></em></p>The boxing gym can be a place for young people to escape street life – but it’s also the home of a violent sport.Deborah Jump, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityHannah Smithson, Professor of Criminology and Youth Justice and Director of the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/900082018-01-30T22:21:54Z2018-01-30T22:21:54ZLet’s Talk about the mental health of young immigrant and refugee men<p>In the past few years the world has seen the <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c11.html">largest displacements of people</a> since the end of the Second World War. And, according to the World Health Organization, “<a href="http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2015/migration-and-health/en/">the scale of anti-migrant sentiment is equally unprecedented</a>.” In Canada, around <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/171025/dq171025b-eng.htm">one in five people were born outside of the country</a>. </p>
<p>How do these experiences of immigration, and of anti-migrant sentiment, impact upon mental health?</p>
<p>This question motivates my research as a PhD candidate in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, where my work has focused on <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/jFBVFAVApmT9msXZ9xwr/full">mental health from the perspectives of immigrant and refugee young men</a> in Greater Vancouver. </p>
<p>During my research I interviewed 33 young men (aged from 15 to 22 years) — from various countries and with different immigration backgrounds — about their everyday experiences in relation to their mental health.</p>
<p>My PhD committee and I analysed interview data for narratives that described the experiences of the participants. Three main narratives emerged, those of: <em>Searching for a better life</em>, the pressure of <em>living the immigrant dream</em> and <em>starting again, from way below</em>. </p>
<p>The interviews also revealed experiences of discrimination and of “glass ceilings” in work and career opportunities. One participant attributed some of his frustration to the notion of being a “perpetual foreigner,” which has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092701/">linked to lower sense of belonging, lower life satisfaction and greater depression for some groups</a>. </p>
<h2>Safety, security, opportunity</h2>
<p>The first theme that emerged — of searching for a better life — was linked to safety, security and opportunity. Despite experiences of loss and trauma, particularly for those who were refugees, the participants described a strong sense of hope. For many, the hope for a better life was an impetus for migration. </p>
<p>Canada was often portrayed as “a better country overall” compared to countries from where some of the young men moved. Opportunity was described in terms of employment and freedom to travel. As 19-year old Luke explained, “being on a South African passport, travelling is impossible. [Becoming a Canadian citizen] is really kind of my ticket out of all of that.” </p>
<p>This narrative referred to experiences of navigating global class systems while also reinforcing a view of North American superiority over other countries.</p>
<p>At the same time, the sense of hope for safety, security and opportunity seemed to impact the young men’s mental health in a positive way. For example, some of the participants described their experiences of living through war. Although there was worry about family members “back at home,” they felt safer — and more hopeful — in Canada.</p>
<h2>Financial hardship and suicidal thoughts</h2>
<p>In the second narrative of living the immigrant dream, interviewees focused on the stress of financial hardship and the pressure this created for the participants to succeed in school. </p>
<p>For 18-year-old Aaron from Bosnia, the pressure to complete school led to several years of suicidal ideation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>I know I’m obligated to [my parents] just ‘cause I feel like I owe them that much at least - so when I do poorly… it really stresses me out and um it kind of just gets all the bad thoughts coming… you just want it to end and how else is it going to end, right?</em></p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204089/original/file-20180130-38209-740211.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Discrimination within systems, such as schools, can contribute to feelings of failure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/ Min An)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Here, individual failures were emphasised over the role of systems and institutions to support immigrant and refugee youth.</p>
<h2>Discrimination and vulnerability</h2>
<p>The third narrative was that of starting again, from way below. Here, the focus was on experiences of discrimination through mainstream views and institutional practices. </p>
<p>As Nabhan, a refugee from Afghanistan, recounted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>My friends were just kind of – “Oh, you guys just wanna –,” like in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Gaza and those places, there was lots of fighting and he was like, “Why you guys don’t want peace in your country?” – I was like, “Well, you can’t just describe the whole country by one or couple people.”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The devaluing of international credentials also came up several times. As 22-year-old Henry from China put it: “It was really hard to find jobs, especially when you were Asian at that time, because… they were more or less really focused on Caucasian people… [and] because [my parents’] credentials from their birthplace weren’t really transferable to here.” </p>
<p>Participants also described their own experiences of discrimination within systems like the schools. Joey (age 16, from China) said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>“I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this but he [the teacher] is nicer to girls in general and he’s nicer to non-Asian, I mean non-Chinese people. Other students told me about this too. But then he’s not the only teacher who does that.”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Experiences of discrimination and racism shaped their mental health and the extent to which they could seek support. Twenty-year-old Hedayat from Bangladesh described it this way: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>“For immigrants and people of colour there’s specific emotions that are hard to deal with… anger and pain and things that you’re not really allowed to show in the context of being vulnerable.”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>For many of these young men, distress was not allowed — in the context of feeling like “second-class” citizens within Canadian society. </p>
<h2>Talking about mental health</h2>
<p>Previous research has shown the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2747726/">negative effects of perceived discrimination on mental health</a>.
Discrimination can also shape <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-008-9185-0#Sec11">access to mental health supports and the delivery of care</a>.</p>
<p>The findings in my study suggest that social context can make it difficult for immigrant and refugee young men to seek help for mental health challenges. </p>
<p>But some of the men did seek and receive support — from counsellors at their schools and at youth centres. Some described the important role that their youth settlement workers played in helping them adjust to Canadian society and to also deal with difficult experiences. Others turned to their partners, mothers and sisters as people they could trust and talk to. </p>
<p>My research with these immigrant and refugee young men suggests that the accessibility of services and talking about mental health are key. </p>
<p>In Hedayat’s words, “It needs to be okay to seek out these services…there needs to be a bigger dialogue.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90008/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carla Hilario received financial support through a Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research Award from Knowledge Translation Canada and an internal research grant made possible by the UBC School of Nursing, the Men’s Depression and
Suicide Network, and and Movember Canada. She is on the Board of Directors for Next Gen Men, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting healthy masculinities and gender equity with boys, young men, men, and people of all genders.
</span></em></p>Talking about mental health challenges is not always so easy for young immigrant and refugee men in Canada, according to research from the University of British Columbia.Carla Hilario, Doctoral Candidate in Nursing, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/867142017-11-16T15:51:14Z2017-11-16T15:51:14ZRadicalisation is not just a terrorist tactic – street gangs do it every day<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194999/original/file-20171116-8006-34t8xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/criminal-activity-addiction-people-social-problem-454362622">Shutterstock/SydaProductions</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The word radicalisation has been hijacked by the war on terror and become interchangeable with extremism. But radicalisation is happening in our towns and cities every day as marginalised teenagers and children – left isolated from opportunity – join street gangs. Some eventually climb the criminal ladder into <a href="http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/crime-threats/organised-crime-groups">organised crime groups</a> looking for some kind of belonging.</p>
<p>The only way to deal with this type of radicalisation is by getting to the root of the problem. Only then is there a hope of addressing the wider issue of extremism, not only in religious thinking but also in criminal motivations at an early age. A report by the <a href="http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/nsci-ecrsn/radical-eng.pdf">Royal Canadian Mounted Police</a> defined radicalisation as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The process by which individuals, usually young people, are introduced to an overtly ideological message and belief system that encourages movement from moderate, mainstream beliefs, to extreme views.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Over the last couple of years, the media has tended to focus on religious or political fundamentalism as the defining criteria of radicalisation, driving the idea that the phenomenon is directly associated with terror. However, my research into <a href="http://www.academia.edu/3677476/Hesketh_R._2014_">street gang culture</a> on <a href="https://theconversation.com/little-boy-blue-and-the-deadly-gangs-of-merseyside-then-and-now-78133">Merseyside</a>, has shown how the process of recruiting new gang members could be classified as a form of radicalisation.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"859148617998893059"}"></div></p>
<p>New recruits get drawn to crime, having deviated away from the “straight and narrow” ruling ideology that fails to benefit them because of social inequality and <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/benefit-cap-could-lead-4000-10930428">issues around poverty</a>. More specifically, the lack of real opportunities caused by unemployment and a government austerity programme that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/12/disability-benefit-cuts-could-see-500000-people-lose-150-a-week">is cutting services</a> and causing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/10/child-poverty-david-cameron-austerity">child poverty to soar</a>.</p>
<p>These factors make certain areas, such as council estates, even more bleak and propel young people towards the only opportunity open to them – the dark recesses of criminality. In effect, it is an ideal setting for the triggering of psychological personality issues. Leading Cambridge neuro-psychologist, Simon Baron-Cohen, has highlighted what can happen when individuals who have experienced long term deprivation become socially detached from the world.</p>
<p>For Baron-Cohen, this can result in what he calls “<a href="Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXcU8x_xK18">Empathy Erosion</a>”. When this situation occurs, then there will be a tendency for young people to conceive their own means to attain material goals and in most cases this usually means relinquishing compassion for others – others who form the law-abiding majority – instead opting to join like-minded peers forming “deviant” street groups. </p>
<p>Once they join a gang there is also the seductive allure of committing crime for the shear thrill of the risk and a need to escape the monotonous banality of council estate life. It is a phenomenon that criminologists have come to recognise as “<a href="https://simplysociology.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/edgework-taking-risks-for-the-fun-of-it/">edgework</a>”.</p>
<h2>The code of the street</h2>
<p>The running common denominator for recruitment to these groups – whether their motives are political, religious or criminal – can be seen to be social isolation. It has become clear that some individuals who become victims of religious radicalisation are indeed loners or so-called “<a href="http://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/1302002992ICSRPaper_ATypologyofLoneWolves_Pantucci.pdf">lone wolves</a>”.</p>
<p>But, in the same context, looking at street gangs, social and academic commentators point to individuals who have become disenfranchised, socially excluded and marginalised. The predominantly right wing think tank, the Centre for Social Justice, wrote an in-depth review of <a href="https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/core/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/DyingtoBelongFullReport.pdf">street gangs in the UK</a> which described a generation of young people who have become “alienated from mainstream society”. It states that these young people have “created their own, alternative society: the gang. And they live by the gang’s rules, the ‘code of the street’”.</p>
<p>With this in mind, different types or levels of radicalisation now need to be considered. The examples of street gangs and organised crime groups show how there are similar themes with individuals becoming vulnerable to being sucked into an alternative, potentially violent, counterculture via the same core social and psychological triggers.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.academia.edu/3677476/Hesketh_R._2014_">My study</a> involved interviewing 22 young people who had been involved in street gangs. Evident in every young person’s case was the same type of social, psychological characteristics that had initially been triggered by feelings of communal isolation. They all needed to be part of a group and many were influenced by both the internet and an older mentor who was already in a gang.</p>
<h2>The uniform and the pressure</h2>
<p>Once in the gang, other psychological factors take hold, like “de-individuation” or a loss of self-awareness and personal identity. The effect of gang members wearing similar clothing can provide them with the ability to blend in with the group and a freedom to behave in a way they would not as an individual. In Liverpool, the wearing of an all-black dress code consisting of hoodies, a military-style cap, tracksuit bottoms and trainers has become the standard uniform for a gang member. Taken together, the young gang member becomes a “<a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool/%E2%80%A6/liverpool-gangs">street soldier</a>” and blends in to the rebelling mass. </p>
<p>Central government and local authorities could have helped combat and reduced radicalisation well before the rise of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/04/world_al_qaeda/html/2.stm">Al Qaeda</a> or <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27994277">IS</a> by simply focusing on domestic issues, such as social and cultural deprivation and, in particular, diversity and inclusivity.</p>
<p>My observations of the Stockbridge Village estate in Knowsley, Liverpool – branded a “<a href="https://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21589230-britain-no-longer-has-serious-race-problem-trouble-isolation-new-kind">new kind of ghetto</a>” by The Economist – highlight the tight jingoistic bonds and racial alienation of inner city neighbourhoods. As a result, we see young people in areas like this become environmentally introverted and territorial, embracing and an “us versus them” mentality where crime becomes the only way to get through life. </p>
<p>Only by reshaping the social landscape of these communities – by creating greater diversity, equality and opportunity through inclusivity – can we ever hope to develop a greater resistance to radical thinking of a violent nature on all levels.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86714/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Hesketh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young people from poor backgrounds are being radicalised by criminal gangs.Robert Hesketh, Lecturer Criminal Justice, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/683672016-11-10T09:25:07Z2016-11-10T09:25:07ZPlace plays a vital role in how boys learn to become men<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145228/original/image-20161109-19047-1tn0w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Who you can become is shaped by the history of your home.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-97319867/stock-photo-all-in-your-hands.html?src=vgTbtX-6XCaVlOPn7Udmjg-1-41">luxorphoto/www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the late 1970s, how young people transition to adulthood has been <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/6185/Engaging-young-people-not-in-education-employment-or-training-The-case-for-a-Youth-Resolution-Feb14/pdf/ucu_youthresolution_report_feb14.pdf">shaped by changes in global industry</a>. As job opportunities in the UK have moved away from industrial roles, young people have become <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/university-record-numbers-a-level-students-place-clearing-results-a7196731.html">more likely to remain in education</a> than ever before, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/nov/10/schools-focus-struggling-white-working-class-pupils-uk?CMP=share_btn_tw">increasingly strive to gain educational qualifications</a> to enable them to compete in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/14/uk-labour-market-figures-employment-up-why-earnings-growth-down">shrinking labour market</a>. </p>
<p>However, these changes have been accompanied by an <a href="http://projects.huffingtonpost.co.uk/building-modern-men/">increasing anxiety in the UK</a>, the <a href="http://promundoglobal.org/resources/engendering-men-evidence-review/">global north and elsewhere</a> about the position of boys and young men. There is still concern that boys are <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540253.2014.953918">underachieving in school</a> compared to girls, that they are suffering from <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/teenage-mental-health-crisis-rates-of-depression-have-soared-in-the-past-25-years-a6894676.html">high rates of suicide</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/nov/05/men-less-likely-to-get-help--mental-health">poor mental health</a>, and that boys are increasingly involved in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11342408/Are-men-natural-born-criminals-Prison-numbers-dont-lie.html">offending and anti-social behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>Policy makers, the media and social commentators have suggested that the problem is down to young men suffering from a lack of male role models – although there is often frustratingly little detail offered as to <a href="http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/beyondmalerolemodels/">what a role model is</a> or what a suitable candidate might offer to young men. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145265/original/image-20161109-19089-1m0xp1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Industrial towns are still standing while their labouring legacy may be long gone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-235941127/stock-photo-young-man-overlooking-seaside-town-from-the-hill.html?src=tGZIAZ2ECNRV2U729Y8hAA-1-34">Krizek Vaclav/www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These problems are often framed as outcomes of a “war” on boys – or as MP Diane Abbott put it, a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22530184">“crisis” of masculinity</a>. But men still tend to hold the key positions of authority and control throughout society, and across the world, so how real is this problem? </p>
<p>“Boys” – and girls – are extremely diverse, and there are multiple ways of being a boy. What we really need to be thinking about when we talk about these issues, is which boys and which men are struggling. </p>
<p>In reality it is those boys and young men from working-class backgrounds who live in de-industrialised places who are most likely to be struggling. These men are the ones who are most often associated with the “crisis” and with public fears of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13676261.2012.671933">disorder, disrespect and delinquency</a>. </p>
<p>Due to economic restructuring over the past half century, working-class young men are no longer likely to be learning to labour, working in mines, factories or elsewhere like their fathers, but learning to “serve” in the growing service industry.</p>
<h2>From labouring to learning</h2>
<p>So how do young men from post-industrial communities adapt and change in insecure times and make sense of their position as they transition into adulthood? When young men are left with the legacy of industrial labour, do they perform and articulate masculinity in different ways or by different means? In terms of education, do academic or vocational pathways impact upon specific classed identities? What are the broader social and spatial networks within their communities that mediate the identities of these young men and how do space and place impact on who they are and who they can become? </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145244/original/image-20161109-19081-1m2k1h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Towns and villages like Llwynpia in south Wales grew up around industry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-244401457/stock-photo-llwynpia-south-wales-a-colliery-village-built-up-around-a-coal-mine-photo-taken-during-the-british-coal-strike-of-1910.html?src=xoYGOiVlXBbKDA_EYhuSwA-1-0">Everett Historical/www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To address some of these questions, I <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/review-from-labouring-to-learning-michael-ward-palgrave-macmillan">followed a group of about 30 young working-class men</a> living in the de-industrialised south Wales valleys for two and a half years. I shadowed them from their last week of compulsory schooling, up until some of the young men started university. I spent time as an active participant in school lessons, playgrounds, assemblies, dinner halls and parents evenings in order to understand their school lives. </p>
<p>As the boys grew older, I also followed them beyond the school gates: hanging out in the cars they drove, the fast food places they ate in, the pubs and nightclubs they drank and danced in, at university open days, and their places of work. I attended sports events, went shopping, to the cinema and to 18th birthday parties. On one occasion we visited a lap dancing club. On another, I attended the funeral of a young man after a tragic car accident. </p>
<p>What I learnt is that life for these modern young men is not as simple as the media and policy portray it to be. They are seen as feckless, out of control and educational failures, lacking aspiration – but this is simply not true. In fact, for this group of young men in a community of social and economic deprivation, expectations and transitions to adulthood are shaped through the industrial legacy of the region. This legacy has an impact on class and gender codes and what it means to be a man – and what behaviour is deemed acceptable and what is not. This then plays a huge part in educational decision-making and future life chances.</p>
<p>We simply cannot classify young men’s issues into neatly defined categories. Really we need to look at how their lives are shaped within <a href="https://theconversation.com/king-hits-young-men-masculinity-and-violence-22247">specific contexts and localised cultures</a>. It is these issues which need tackling if some of the concerns surrounding young men are to be resolved. Home life, street life, individual neighbourhoods, regions and nations all shape the performance of different masculine identities. And it is these local expectations of manhood that are a huge influence on who they are and the possibility of who they can be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68367/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Ward received funding from the Economic Social Research Council for the study.</span></em></p>Masculinity is defined by more than just manliness.Michael Ward, Lecturer in Applied Social Science, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/517822015-12-04T20:37:20Z2015-12-04T20:37:20ZIf you give a man a gun: the evolutionary psychology of mass shootings<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104468/original/image-20151204-16482-7xlrwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A longing for power and social status mixed with hormones and fear can have deadly consequences. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-286760048/stock-photo-silhouette-rear-of-man-standing-hand-hold-holding-gun-revolvers-on-sunrise-in-the-city-background.html?src=CaQc25v7GVYC2kLrrNHhRw-1-7">'Man' via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178909000457">Men commit</a> over 85% of all homicides, 91% of all same-sex homicides and 97% of all same-sex homicides in which the victim and killer aren’t related to each other. </p>
<p>These startling statistics are driven home with each new mass shooting (though the most recent tragedy in San Bernardino, California is a bit unusual in that a married couple were the shooters). </p>
<p>In any event, politicians and the media are trotting out the usual suspects to explain the tragedy, whether it’s the lack of attention paid to mental illness or the easy availability of guns. </p>
<p>But these explanations dance around the big questions: why is there always a man behind these shootings? And why is it almost always a <em>young</em> man? </p>
<p>Evolutionary psychology can provide some clues. </p>
<h2>Precarious manhood</h2>
<p>Psychologists Joseph Vandello and Jennifer Bosson have coined the term “<a href="http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/20/2/82">precarious manhood</a>” to describe a dilemma that only men seem to face. </p>
<p>In a nutshell, they argue that “manhood” – however an individual male’s culture might define it – is a status that must be continually earned. And one’s self-worth is tied to being perceived as a “real man.” </p>
<p>It’s precarious because it can be easily lost – especially if the man fails to measure up to the relentless challenges that life throws at him, be they tests of physical bravery, or competition with other men for respect and status.</p>
<p>When I introduce this concept to my male students, they instantly recognize what I’m talking about. But when I ask the women if there’s a female equivalent, I’m often met with confused looks. (Some do note that the inability to have a child could be a threat to womanhood.) Indeed, it quickly becomes clear in the ensuing discussion that “manhood” is more precarious than “womanhood.”</p>
<p>The roots of this male dilemma reside deep in our prehistoric past. Throughout the animal kingdom, the sex that invests the least in the reproduction of offspring (almost always males) competes among themselves for sexual access to mates. </p>
<p>Historically, powerful men <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=-fJjY9frliEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA58&dq=evolutionary+psychology+of+male+violence+daly+and+wilson+1994&ots=F-xVKQLFMc&sig=AcCEF0cyDYZzxkFBweRkgfqRT9I#v=onepage&q&f=false">have always enjoyed greater sexual access to women</a> than men lower in the pecking order, and violence can often be traced to this grim struggle for status. Anthropologist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Chagnon">Napoleon Chagnon</a> spent years studying the Yanomamo people of South America. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ul283U5_HrUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=chagnon+yanamamo&ots=H8eGdTds8W&sig=kJlzjRtiG-d6Ke3Zv5LEpnLSwsQ#v=onepage&q=chagnon%20yanamamo&f=false">He discovered</a> that men who had killed other men acquired significantly more wives than men who hadn’t killed anyone. And by all indications, a man’s status in the group was often dependent upon how believable his threats of physical violence were. </p>
<p>In different cultures, the male “quest for dominance” may play out in different ways. Regardless, it is clearly a universal motivating principle among males, with the achievement of dominance satisfying and rewarding for those who attain it. As scholar Jonathan Gottschall <a href="http://evp.sagepub.com/content/13/3/1474704915598490.full">put it</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To physically dominate another man is intoxicating. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>And so, violence committed against the right people at the right time became a ticket to social success.</p>
<h2>Competitive drives</h2>
<p>For sound evolutionary reasons, younger men find themselves especially concerned with status and dominance. </p>
<p>In early human societies, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178909000457">competitive success or failure in early adulthood determined a man’s standing in a social group for the rest of his life</a>. It wasn’t possible to simply hit the “reset” button and join another group, so what happened during the teen years mattered a lot. </p>
<p>For this reason, high-risk competition between young males provided an opportunity for “showing off” the abilities needed to acquire resources, exhibit strength and meet any challenges to one’s status. Consequently, heroic or even recklessly daredevil behavior was rewarded with status and respect – assuming, of course, that the young man survived the ordeal.</p>
<p>Today, the widespread promotion of sport in our culture undoubtedly developed as a constructive alternative for dealing with the proclivities of young males that evolved in a very different time. In a legally sanctioned gladiatorial arena, young men are able to exhibit the same skills – throwing, clubbing, running, wrestling, tackling, hand-eye coordination – that would have made them successful fighters or hunters in the ancestral environment.</p>
<h2>Young Male Syndrome</h2>
<p>It’s no secret that most people fear violent behavior by young men more than violent behavior by older men. There’s a sound basis for this fear. </p>
<p>In fact, the tendency of young men to engage in risky, aggressive behavior prompted the Canadian psychologists Margo Wilson and Martin Daly to give it a name: <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016230958590041X">Young Male Syndrome</a>. </p>
<p>The duo studied the relationship among age, sex and homicide victimization in the United States in 1975. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3p4br9FRAUgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=daly+and+wilson+homicide&ots=kvjALtEUbC&sig=o9RbWltQarPT78CgLSBXkMp35rg#v=onepage&q=daly%20and%20wilson%20homicide&f=false">They found</a> that the likelihood of a woman being a murder victim doesn’t change dramatically throughout the course of her life. The pattern for the males, on the other hand, is striking. At age 10, males and females have an equal probability of being murdered. But by the time men are into their 20’s, they become <em>six times</em> more likely to be murdered. </p>
<p>Consistent with Wilson and Daly’s data, 87% of the 598 homicide victims in the city of Chicago in 2003 were males, and 64% of the victims were between the ages of 17 and 30. The likelihood of being the victim of lethal violence peaks for men between the late teens and late 20’s, before steadily declining for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>Nature fuels the fires of male violence by equipping young men with the high levels of testosterone necessary to get the job done. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=734&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=734&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104492/original/image-20151204-29716-1jhbwug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=734&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Squaring off.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-171167054/stock-photo-fighting-chimpanzee-bonobo-pan-paniscus-democratic-republic-of-congo-africa.html?src=0kdt0q25IjGrkgf6QnqU7w-1-1">'Chimpanzees' via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Studies on chimpanzees – our closest primate relative – have shown that high-ranking male chimpanzees exhibit the highest levels of aggression and the highest levels of testosterone. Furthermore, all adult male chimpanzees experience their <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347203003981">highest testosterone levels</a> when they’re in the presence of females who are ovulating. This is associated only with higher levels of aggression – not significant increases in actual sexual activity.</p>
<p>Researchers such as myself who study <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178909000457">the relationship between testosterone and aggression in humans</a> have concluded that testosterone-fueled violence is more likely to occur when males are competing with other males, or when the social status of a male is challenged in some way. The increased testosterone facilitates whatever competitive behaviors are needed to meet the challenge, which could mean physical violence. </p>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1991.tb02379.x/pdf">Many studies have shown</a> that testosterone levels in males rise and fall according to whether the individual wins or loses in competitive sports, like tennis and wrestling – even chess. </p>
<p>Sports fans experience the same spike watching sports, which helps explain the violence and destructive rioting that can take place after big games (win or lose). </p>
<h2>Adding guns to the mix</h2>
<p>So how do guns figure into this violent equation? </p>
<p>In 2006 I coauthored <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/6919042_Guns_Testosterone_and_Aggression_An_Experimental_Test_of_a_Mediational_Hypothesis">a laboratory study</a> on men’s responses to guns in the journal <a href="http://pss.sagepub.com">Psychological Science</a> with my colleague Tim Kasser and one of our students. We demonstrated that males who interacted with a handgun showed a greater increase in testosterone levels and more aggressive behavior than males who interacted with the board game Mouse Trap. </p>
<p>In the study, each participant dismantled either a gun or the mousetrap, handled its components and then wrote instructions for how to assemble the objects. Then we gave them the opportunity to put hot sauce into water that was going to be consumed by another person. The participants who handled the gun put in significantly more hot sauce – and were also more likely to express disappointment after learning that no one was going to actually drink the concoction. </p>
<p>Thus, cues tied to threats often won’t result in aggressive responses unless testosterone is involved. Elliot Rodger, the disturbed college student whose violent 2014 rampage through Santa Barbara, California, was foretold in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu6NKHtLzks">chilling YouTube video</a>, clearly experienced a testosterone surge upon purchasing his first handgun. </p>
<p>“After I picked up the handgun,” he explained, “I brought it back to my room and felt a new sense of power. Who’s the alpha male now, bitches?”</p>
<h2>Mass shooter = low-dominant loser?</h2>
<p>Young male violence is most likely to be initiated by young men who don’t command respect from others. They’ll often feel like slighted outcasts, deprived of what they want or feel they deserve. </p>
<p>British clinical psychologist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilbert_%28psychologist%29">Paul Gilbert</a> has developed something he calls the <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.413.8535&rep=rep1&type=pdf">Social Attention Holding Theory</a>. According to Gilbert, we compete with each other to have other people pay attention to us; when other people take notice, we build status. The increased status that comes from having others attend to us leads to all kinds of positive emotions. But persistently being ignored by others produces much darker emotions – especially envy and anger.</p>
<p>It’s no mystery why the media will often describe mass shooters and terrorists as misfits or loners. In many cases, they are. </p>
<p>Nicolas Henin was a Frenchman who was held hostage by ISIS for ten months. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/16/isis-bombs-hostage-syria-islamic-state-paris-attacks?CMP=share_btn_fb">Here’s how he described</a> his young, murderous, Jihadi captors:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They present themselves to the public as superheroes, but away from the camera are a bit pathetic in many ways: street kids drunk on ideology and power. In France we have a saying – stupid and evil. I found them more stupid than evil. That is not to understate the murderous potential of stupidity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Apparently, a lack of attention from others results in a lack of status, resulting in a lack of access to women. Combined with a young man’s testosterone, it creates a toxic, combustible mix. </p>
<p>There may not be much we can do to change the structure of the young male mind that evolved over the course of millions of years. However, ignoring or denying its existence doesn’t do us any favors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frank T. McAndrew does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Why is there always a man behind the trigger? And why is it almost always a young man?Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/492752015-10-22T09:51:45Z2015-10-22T09:51:45ZA gambling expert weighs in: what makes daily fantasy sports so alluring – and dangerous – for young men?<p>Two facts can’t be disputed: Americans love their sports, and they love to gamble. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/4735/sports.aspx">According to Gallup</a>, nearly 60% of Americans call themselves sports fans, while ESPN broadcasts continuous sports coverage to <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/08/23/list-of-how-many-homes-each-cable-networks-is-in-cable-network-coverage-estimates-as-of-august-2013/199072/">almost 100 million homes</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, state-sanctioned casinos, poker rooms and lotteries are only proliferating. Once relegated to Nevada and Atlantic City, casino gambling has now expanded into 31 states, as the state capitals hope to use gambling revenues to address budget shortfalls. In Nevada, where there is legalized betting on the outcomes of sporting events, <a href="http://www.statista.com/statistics/188360/gross-gaming-revenue-of-nevada-sports-books-since-2006/">billions of dollars are wagered annually</a>.</p>
<p>By now, you’ve probably heard of daily fantasy sports, which currently occupies a <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-a-shaky-legal-foundation-are-daily-fantasy-sports-a-billion-dollar-house-of-cards-47914">legal gray area</a>. Some states <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/sports/gambling-regulators-block-daily-fantasy-sites-in-nevada.html?_r=0">have called it gambling</a>, while others claim it’s perfectly legal given it’s a game of skill. </p>
<p>Either way, there’s no denying that money is being wagered. And it should say something that professional poker players are <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/06/former-pro-poker-player-makes-a-living-on-fantasy-sports.html">transitioning</a> to daily fantasy sports.</p>
<p>But as someone who has studied the gambling behaviors of young people for over 20 years, I argue that it’s the fact that young men are signing up to play in droves that represents the most disconcerting trend. </p>
<h2>Gambling’s new frontier</h2>
<p>With the rise of the internet, gambling has dramatically changed.</p>
<p>Whereas before, there was a dependency on traditional land-based forms of gambling (casinos, slots parlors, poker rooms), technology now has allowed us to wager on virtually anything – whether it’s slots, bingo, lotteries, card games, poker or, yes, sporting events – from the comfort of our living rooms.</p>
<p>At a federal level, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 was designed to prevent Americans from engaging in online gambling, especially poker and sporting events. </p>
<p>Fantasy sports were explicitly exempt, with the idea that fantasy sports were “skill-based.”</p>
<p>But back then, fantasy sports were different. A group of friends would pick players to form their own teams, which they would follow over the course of a professional season. Entry fees varied; often players wouldn’t compete for money at all. In essence, it provided a fun, exciting and interesting way for sports enthusiasts to compete against each other, whether for money, entertainment or bragging rights among friends.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99078/original/image-20151020-32264-eo009p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some friends gather for a traditional fantasy baseball draft.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshsjackson/434492725/in/photolist-6bLyna-6b8LmH-9qmx1c-6b8ySi-6b8QGD-6b8KUB-6b8xdZ-6bd2id-6b8xKH-6b8wEP-6bcU6N-6b8GNX-6b8R8F-6bcLwA-6b8T8X-6b8Nkt-6bcQYw-6bcWy7-6bcXF9-6bcKAo-6bcTy1-6bcYE7-6bcPs5-6bcMru-6b8Aw2-aT4nf-rGBCua-o7AKba-AZvj-AZvi-bNSxNr-EoTuY-4dvWUv-EoTsp-EoTxT-rEpsXT-9qbybq-7KXeWh-7KTgXM-7KXf1W-F1ZnK-GtGi7-atZPx2-3mzm67-o7AJYM-o9FcYa-nQqxxn/">josh s jackson/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perhaps identifying a loophole in the absence of widespread legalized sports betting, the season-long fantasy sports model became warped, as sites like FanDuel and DraftKings created “daily” platforms that allowed participants to place new bets and create multiple teams every day of the week.</p>
<p>Much attention has been made of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/sports/football/draftkings-fanduel-fantasy-sports-games.html">millions</a> that these daily fantasy sports companies have spent on luring new players. </p>
<p>It’s worked. DraftKings, which had roughly 200,000 people signed up last year, has seen a <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/article38479017.html">tenfold increase</a> in registered users.</p>
<p>With bets that can be placed with a click on a smartphone, daily fantasy sports represent a potent mixture: they add an extra layer of excitement and intrigue to the sporting events we already love, while also fueling our desire to gamble, offering the opportunity to showcase our prowess at “beating the odds” – without even leaving the living room.</p>
<h2>Young men are particularly vulnerable</h2>
<p>The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) <a href="http://fsta.org/research/industry-demographics/">has suggested</a> that upwards of 40 million Americans play fantasy sports, which generates over US$15 billion in entry fees. According to the FSTA, the typical player is male (66%) and someone who spends upwards of 18 hours per week consuming sports, with nine of those hours spent engaged in some form of fantasy sports wagering. </p>
<p>Why are so many young men drawn to fantasy sports wagering? And what makes them particularly vulnerable?</p>
<p>Well, for one, the millennial generation has grown up with all the digital toys at their disposal: smartphones, tablets and laptops. Data is but a touch away. Fantasy sports operators have capitalized on this reality and have developed platforms for both wagering that provide real-time data updates. </p>
<p>But beyond the impressive technological capabilities of daily fantasy sports platforms, gambling research provides some clues why the games resonate so much with this demographic.</p>
<p>Besides the obvious allure of winning lots of money (even I’m intrigued by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnvTXsqLxoE">an ad which boasts</a> of a player starting with $35 and winning $2 million), there has been research suggesting that young males, in particular, find this activity attractive. </p>
<p>According to our research, for these young men playing fantasy sports can:</p>
<ul>
<li>make the sporting events more interesting</li>
<li>reaffirm their masculinity </li>
<li>offer an escape from daily routines and stressors </li>
<li>allow them to form bonds with their peers </li>
<li>fuel competitive drives </li>
<li>allow them to have more complex experiences </li>
<li>and give them the opportunity for bragging rights. </li>
</ul>
<p>While most individuals engage in this form of wagering in a socially responsible manner (setting and adhering to personal time and money limits), they’re still devoting vast amounts of time to fantasy sports, which precludes them from taking advantage of social and academic opportunities.</p>
<p>In a large-scale study among college athletes from 2004 to 2012, we found a dramatic increase in the number of male and female college student athletes wagering on fantasy sports sites.</p>
<p>While we won’t know for sure, it makes you wonder how many of these players will go on to experience actual gambling problems. </p>
<p>This is not to suggest that fantasy sports wagering actually results in a gambling problem; rather, it may well be that young people with gambling problems just view this as another easy opportunity to gamble. However, the amount of time spent on this one activity – along with the lack of robust age verification barriers – is of considerable concern.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, recent research <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/young-people-risky-investors-2014-12">has shown</a> that people under 25 are playing fast and loose with their investments (and don’t have much to show for it). Whether or not this is indicative of our culture’s larger <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-world-series-of-pokers-colossus-event-and-americas-obsession-with-risk-42658">obsession with risk</a>, it does speak to a certain vulnerability that young people who wager on daily fantasy sports possess.</p>
<p>Ultimately, whether fantasy sports are viewed strictly as skill-based or gambling will be left for the courts to decide. </p>
<p>Until then, the lure – and pitfalls – of engaging in daily fantasy sports remain. After all, for generations the gambling industry has thrived off the same core principle: for every winner, there must be many more losers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49275/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeffrey Derevensky receives funding from a variety of governmental and corporate agencies for his research and training activities. </span></em></p>For many, the marriage of two American pastimes – gambling and sports – can be almost impossible to resist.Jeffrey Derevensky, Professor & Chair, Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/409812015-04-30T15:56:23Z2015-04-30T15:56:23ZWhy is diabetes killing so many teenagers?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79962/original/image-20150430-30709-16uht5v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Death rates from type 1 diabetes in UK males aged 15 to 24 have almost doubled since 2000.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/visionnewspaper/521827199/in/photolist-N7v3F-N7pTK-N7ko2-N7dws-6sBE6z-55nV4M-4u9SNL-6sFSKo-6sFTk3-6sBxax-jKFvjp-JVzrc-jKGX2A-4oLJ3p-rvMeJ4-rcsYCD-rcsZV8-rvFcq4-recZXb-h7Pwf7-h7MmsK-vNYqH-8Uu562-55DH1J-4XCM1B-9CCipc-55DFMo-55DNUN-55DHMd-55DN8L-55zL62-55zXrM-55DGhs-6sBCYD-6sFR3A-6sBCcc-6sFMLC-6sByQ4-hLuPbP-49EZ8C-JQiu-4aX8RT-fF2fGt-5Rcz4H-5ZSUJ-VWTx-6TdLT-6TdKB-6TdHu-pZAebp">York Vision/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Young British men have a problem with diabetes. <a href="http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2015/apr/type-1-diabetes-mortality-rate-higher-in-uk-than-most-of-europe-95680226.html">Recent studies</a> have highlighted that death rates from type 1 diabetes in boys and men aged 15 to 24 years have almost doubled since 2000 in the UK. This is higher than reported death rates among young men with diabetes in other European countries. Why has type 1 diabetes become such a problem for our young people?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Reports/Diabetes-in-the-UK-2012.pdf">Overall</a>, about 10% of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. The condition is caused when the immune system makes a mistake. The cells in the pancreas that make insulin are crucial for controlling blood glucose levels, but in a patient with type 1 diabetes the immune system treats these cells as a threat and targets them for destruction.</p>
<p>When about 70% of these “beta cells” have been destroyed there is no longer enough insulin to control blood sugars, which means the patient will need daily insulin injections. The condition is more common in children and young people with an average age at onset of 12 years.</p>
<p>Young people dying as a result of type 1 diabetes is <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17901942">rare</a> but is possible if the condition is not diagnosed quickly. The disease is associated with increased risk of health complications, with particularly detrimental effects on the kidneys and eyes if the condition is not well managed. And poor management of insulin treatment can lead to blood glucose levels getting too high or too low, which can also cause death.</p>
<p>Type 1 diabetes is a growing problem in most developed countries, with particular increases among young people. From our <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9314756">research</a>, as well as other <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481249">studies</a>, we know that the incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing at a rate of 3% per year in most European populations. The rate is even higher in children diagnosed under the age of 5 years.</p>
<p>The cause for this increase in the number of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is unclear. Certain genes occur more often in people with the disease but these genes are not becoming more frequent. Instead, it appears that some factors in our environment are increasing the risk of type 1 diabetes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79965/original/image-20150430-30716-okzgip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Several factors mean young men can poorly manage their diabetes, potentially resulting in death.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/momboleum/3583757034/in/photolist-6sFG7o-GquyN-N7v3F-N7pTK-N7ko2-N7dws-6sBE6z-55nV4M-4u9SNL-3EW2MH-6sFSKo-6sFTk3-6sBCYD-6sFR3A-6sBCcc-6sFMLC-6sBxax-6sByQ4-hLuPbP-49EZ8C-JQiu-JVzrc-jKGX2A-4oLJ3p-rvMeJ4-rcsYCD-rcsZV8-rvFcq4-recZXb-4aX8RT-fF2fGt-5Rcz4H-5ZSUJ-VWTx-6TdLT-6TdKB-6TdHu-h7Pwf7-pZAebp-h7MmsK-h7Ng4h-f4zkdG-47GZvL-vNYqH-7BYGG-8Uu562-bbntCM-55DH1J-9CCipc-4iSAQX">Momboluem/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<p>A lot of research is ongoing trying to determine what these factors are and how they contribute to the increasing numbers of people with the condition. In particular, a <a href="https://teddy.epi.usf.edu/">study</a> called The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) is examining early-life events including diet changes and viral infections. </p>
<p>But the increasing rates of type 1 diabetes cannot explain the rising death rate among young British men, because we know incidence of the disease is growing at similar rates in other European populations – but the diabetes-related deaths aren’t rising at the same rate.</p>
<p>Poor management of diabetes can result from a combination of factors including changes during <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1793733/">puberty</a>, the lack of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23659590">engagement</a> by teenage boys with the healthcare system, and other social factors during a time in their lives when they may start living away from home. During this same period, young men in the UK also transition from childhood to adult NHS services and this could <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25764182">result</a> in loss of follow-up for some patients. </p>
<p>National <a href="http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/improving-child-health/quality-improvement-and-clinical-audit/national-paediatric-diabetes-audit-n-0#National%20Paediatric%20Diabetes%20Audit%20Report%202013-2014">data</a> showing increased rates of diabetes-related complications in teenagers supports the view that there is an urgent need to focus on this age group. We need to ensure that all young people with diabetes attend all clinic appointments and that there is a support mechanism in place for those who have difficulties coping with their condition.</p>
<p>Perhaps research studies could be designed to establish whether social networks could be used to help young people who manage their diabetes well to help those who have problems.</p>
<p>Ultimately, if successful, this could save lives and save the NHS money by helping to prevent conditions such as diabetic kidney disease.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40981/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathleen Gillespie receives funding from Diabetes UK and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.</span></em></p>Death rates for young men with type 1 diabetes in the UK have shot past similar figures for Western Europe. Greater focus on adolescents could save lives.Kathleen Gillespie, Reader in Molecular Medicine, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/311702014-09-05T02:08:13Z2014-09-05T02:08:13ZFor Father’s Day, give us men who aren’t shown as fools and clowns<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58100/original/tsww9fvg-1409719021.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If this man had half a brain, he wouldn't have needed his partner to tell him how to find the best hotel deal without staying up all night.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW2gRl0xQNc">Youtube/Hotels Combined Commercial, Australia, 2013, Cole Rintoul</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“<a href="http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/getyourhandoffit.html">Get your hand off it</a>,” says the girl in the ad. Here is a cowgirl type telling men not to play with anything while driving. It’s the mobile that she means, ha ha.</p>
<p>Why should we be concerned? Because yet again, here’s an ad showing men as fools, clowns or rogues. Time and again we’ll be shown someone doing the wrong thing, then told off. It always seems to be the man doing the wrong thing, and a woman ridiculing him.</p>
<p>I see ads about littering on suburban litter bins. Here’s a man shown dropping a wrapper. And here’s a woman frowning at him, unimpressed and thus no longer seeing the man as desirable. Dumb men, wanting the affection of women who don’t welcome their interest.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BdFCsRdQmI0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The ‘country’ version of the NSW road safety campaign.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Think of some well-known men in the TV comedies you watch. There are many dumb males in The Simpsons and the worst is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Simpson">Homer</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Husbands">Househusbands</a> has a clutch of guys struggling manfully (if that’s the word) trying to manage a few kids while earning money. They don’t seem to make a very successful go of it, either.</p>
<p>And the men on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_and_Away">Home and Away</a> always seem to be getting into fights, mischief and trouble. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine">Brooklyn 99</a> is a new show on SBS. It’s fun, but the male cops are all lazy, work-shy and trying to impress, mostly unsuccessfully.</p>
<p>Once we held men up for boys and girls to admire. There were Galileo, Cook the brilliant navigator, St Patrick who converted Ireland, and tons of other saints, martyrs and heroes. </p>
<p>Today the only males held up for our admiration are young men with amazing bodies or superhuman powers. Think of <a href="http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-bachelor">The Bachelor</a> or the movie <a href="http://www.mightyhercules.com/index_splash.php">Hercules</a>.
Clearly, these are exceptions to the rule that most men shown in the media are fools and clowns. Sorry, most of us can’t look like these musclemen or do all those superhuman tricks. </p>
<p>Why does all this matter? Vast sums are spent on advertising. We’re told that Tony Abbott employs <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/army-of-1900-spin-doctors-costs-taxpayers-millions-20140325-35gqv.html">large teams of people</a> to promote the good news about all his government’s achievements.</p>
<p>Propaganda supporting the current war has been with us for centuries, certainly since the first world war. Advertising and images in the media change people’s behaviour.</p>
<p>Jim Macnamara analysed images of men in the Australian media in a doctoral thesis, later published as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Media-Male-Identity-Making-Remaking/dp/023000167X">Media and Male Identity</a>. He found that overwhelmingly, Australian men are confronted by:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>a misandric world that demonises, marginalises and objectifies men and tries to change them.</p>
</blockquote>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lHAEeRbnpe0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The list of ‘male-bashing’ ads is a long one.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>It’s not just advertisers but educators too</h2>
<p>The discourse of the “flawed male” in the media echoes that in many educational institutions. The doctrine of “most men are bad” is reported by male students in university subjects in sociology, history and education. And nasty images of men in the media reinforce the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/concern-over-stifled-debate-on-male-studies/story-e6frgcjx-1226807161232">negative views of men</a> current in many sectors of education.</p>
<p>The effect of all the negativity is that men bunker down. They say, “Oh well, here’s another attack”. It doesn’t offer much hope to young males who are already searching for an acceptable masculinity.</p>
<p>Perhaps many women would like men who are more sensitive, who listen more attentively and commit more easily. But if we change men too much they won’t be recognisable as men. </p>
<p>When there’s a natural disaster such as a cyclone or bushfire, we expect men will come and help out. If Australia commits itself to war in the Middle East, it will be mainly men who are expected to fight.</p>
<h2>How does this affect boys and young men?</h2>
<p>Young men are affected by what they see on TV and in social media. Just this week, the boys next door were throwing <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-ice-bucket-challenge-and-social-media-virality-30821">buckets of cold water</a> on each other. It was another example of boys imitating what they see around them.</p>
<p>We often hear that boys are trouble. As <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/18/1063625153160.html?from=storyrhs">John Marsden says</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Teenage boys are among the most maligned groups in society.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They are called drug addicts, semi-illiterate, hopeless communicators and a leading group among school failures.</p>
<p>Young men on the street are depicted as sources of trouble, with endless arguments about how to stop their violence. The sins of a few are visited on all. Young <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/low-pay-social-norms-push-men-from-classrooms-20130320-2gg2e.html">men aren’t choosing teaching</a> as a career and the only role models we offer are poor ones.</p>
<p>Do parents want their sons growing up in an atmosphere of such constant criticism of males, as males? Where is the scope for their ideas and ideals? </p>
<p>How can we give boys a lead and show them how to make a better world, if all they see is a relentless ridiculing of their sex? Boys are, after all, bound to turn into men.</p>
<p>So for this Father’s Day, I’d like to give males more hope. Let’s insist that advertisers present us with more positive images of men as well as of women. For the sake of all our dads. And the sons who will be dads, soon enough.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31170/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter West does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>“Get your hand off it,” says the girl in the ad. Here is a cowgirl type telling men not to play with anything while driving. It’s the mobile that she means, ha ha. Why should we be concerned? Because yet…Peter West, Lecturer in Education, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.