If you know someone in the throngs of a mid-life crisis – don’t blame their age, blame their kids.
According to Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg, having teenagers can significantly increase the odds you’ll experience mid-life angst. Dr. Steinberg studied more than 200 families and found that 40% of parents suffered a decline in mental health once their first-born hit adolescence. About one half of the mothers and one third of the fathers reported feelings of rejection and low self-worth, a decline in their sex lives and an increase in headaches, insomnia and upset stomachs.
The good news is the terrible teens aren’t as hard on the kids as some might think. Dr. Steinberg says the hormonal changes of puberty have only a modest direct effect on adolescent behavior. Rebellion during adolescence is atypical, not normal and few adolescents experience the tumultuous identity crisis they’ve triggered for their parents.
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