Family and Individual Patterns in a Group of Middle-Class Dropout Youths

The study described in this article identified the individual behavioral characteristics and family patterns of 102 middle-class dropout youths. The youths participated in an alternative school program housed in a school of social work and were evaluated with a variety of behavioral, social, and academic measures. The youths had a variety of disorders, most notably substance abuse disorders, conduct disorders, and adjustment disorders. Many of the youths had been victimized through physical abuse, sexual abuse, and chronic family dysfunction. Parental substance abuse, situational crisis such as family conflict, and family patterns of overachievement were frequent. Results from the measures were corroborated by clinical interviews. The article highlights the need for social work interventions with middle-class dropout youths and provides practice recommendations for social workers serving middle-class dropout youths and their families.