Having been present and cognitive at the time, we are all well aware of the stress and impact that the recession, which is said to have started around 2008, had on our lives. On top of what we have  experienced since then, a new study suggests that impact from the recession is still affecting us today. This new research shows that children who grew up during the recession are more likely to deal with substance abuse and other issues as a result of the economic depression. This research comes from the New York Upstate Medical University. They have taken past trends and found similarities between children now and children who have lived through similar economic hardships.

The research did not show that one socioeconomic class was more affected than the other. In fact, their data shows that all youth are affected by this. The New York Upstate Medical University compared the increased drinking, smoking, thefts and arrests of teens today to teens in the 1980s, who were also affected by a recession, and were fascinated with the similar results. Children who grew up in areas that were stricken by more unemployment in the 80s were more likely to become involved in delinquent behaviors than the others. These children were also 17 percent more likely to join a gang, smoke marijuana and steal.

The new study shows that children who are born below the regional unemployment rate have a significantly higher likelihood of becoming involved with drugs and crime. In fact, every one percent more that they go beneath that line makes them nine percent more likely to do drugs. Their chances of being arrested jumps up to 17 percent.

– Techyville