Teen Rejection and Chronic Disease

A recent article in Time Health and Family, supported a theory we have had at Spring Ridge Academy for long time.  In a study of teenage girls led by Michael Murphy of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, found "targeted rejection, in which students are singled out for taunting or personally rejected by a friend, can have measurable effects on the immune system. If sustained, these changes can increase risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, mental illness and some cancers later in life, even among those considered to be at the top of the teen social hierarchy."

Researchers found that one link seems to connect the chronic teen social stress to a more sensitive immune system triggering an inflammatory state that can damage the brain and body by a near-constant state of anxiety or of feeling threatened.    

At Spring Ridge Academy, we have long believed that the effects of trauma, as well as, social stress and rejection have long term effects on the lives of young women.  This study supports the importance of treatment and stress reduction in young women.