An insight into adolescent transition from rural to urban centres

Abstract

[Abstract]: A cooperative research project between the Health Promotion Unit of the Health Department and the university is tracking the adjustment of adolescents leaving country towns to seek educational or employment opportunities in urban centres. Over 400 Queensland families willingly participated in the project, their enthusiasm reflecting the widespread concern in Australian country towns about the out-migration of their youth, their apparent failure to return and a sense of hopelessness about how to stem the flow. The project collects data on three occasions over a twelve month period during which time a proportion of the adolescents move to the city. Additional data are contributed by the family or caregiver and the school teacher. Only Time 1 data are available for this study which investigates how parent and child expectations and preferences are implicated in one of the key adolescent transitions, that of leaving a rural home and school to enrol in an urban boarding school. Data show some unexpected discrepancies and the discussion reviews some key features that could be important components for future health promotion intervention programs designed to prepare and support adolescents in transition.