GIRLS ON THE BRINK
Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media
by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
How to help girls deal with the many toxic elements of contemporary society.
Jackson Nakazawa, the author of The Angel and the Assassin and Childhood Disrupted, opens with a disturbing note: “When we look at the mental health of American girls today, one thing becomes clear: We as a society are failing pretty miserably….One out of four adolescent girls reports suffering from symptoms of major depression compared with fewer than one in ten boys.” This stark assessment sets the tone for the author’s incisive analysis of the causes of the stress, anxiety, and depression that American girls are experiencing at an unprecedented rate. Of course, social media plays an outsized role, as girls constantly compare their lives with others online—even though those portrayed lives are often grossly misleading. Jackson Nakazawa cites research into the roles that genes play during pregnancy and how parental stresses in early childhood can affect a girl’s ability to handle adversity. Furthermore, girls are reaching puberty at earlier ages, causing undue stress and anxiety about body image. Jackson Nakazawa chronicles her interviews with numerous young women, giving readers a firsthand perspective on the many difficult issues they face, and she offers 15 strategies for how to work with girls, giving them the tools they need to navigate an often misogynistic society. These include seeking the help of mentors and mental health professionals, figuring out how to “dial back on evaluating your daughter,” and learning how to “create routine, ritual, and structure—including a family media plan.” Outside of the family, the author “wants to see men—especially those in powerful roles…wake up to the reality of the fear girls experience growing up female in a world dominated by sexism and male power.” All of the author’s advice is sound, and her insights into how to start the process of change make this an important book for parents of girls.
A perceptive, informative examination of the problems young American girls face and how to change them.