The Dangers of Being Unemployed and Out of School |
What once seemed like a rare event is becoming all too common: A young adult in their 20s at home, on their computer, and not in education, employment or training. Referred to as NEETs, these young people now represent as many as one in five youth worldwide, and as much as 12 percent of all young adults in countries like the United States and Canada, where economic opportunities should, in theory, be more plentiful.
The toll of being NEET on young people’s mental health can be devastating. Higher rates of depression, loneliness, anxiety and a persistent pattern of languishing are typical of youth who have no reason to get out of bed in the morning and few prospects of tomorrow being much better.
Some young people appear to be more at risk than others: One Dutch study found that early experiences of mental health challenges predicted chronic disengagement from school and work as young people enter their 20s. In other words, a rough start in life may increase a young person’s risk for becoming NEET—and, in a tight and unpredictable job market, their situation may only get worse.
Anecdotally, I know of three families dealing with exactly this problem, and in all three cases, the parents have been unable to do........