A New Look at Adolescent Girls: Strengths and Stresses

The adolescent population in the United States is growing rapidly and will continue to grow into the next millennium. Approximately 18.5 million adolescent girls, ages 10 to 18 years, were living in the United States at the last census in 1990. The lives of these girls are complex, affected by their gender, race, ethnicity, class, differing abilities, and sexual orientation. Only by examining each of these complicated layers can the rich diversity of the lives of adolescent girls be understood.

The American Psychological Association's (APA's) Presidential Task Force on Adolescent Girls: Strengths and Stresses was created by Dorothy W. Cantor during her presidential year (1996). o integrate current knowledge regarding adolescent girls in order to focus on the strengths, challenges, and choices of adolescent girls today. The task force will also identify gaps and inconsistencies in research, education, practice, and public policy. In this endeavor, the task force is committed to the inclusion of the voices and lives of a range of adolescent girls in terms of age, racial and ethnic diversity, socioeconomic status, geographic area, and sexual orientation.