11/18/2020A national study following more than 12,000 people from adolescence to adulthood showed that positive and caring relationships in the teenage years make a lasting impact on mental health. Warm relationships with parents, friends and teachers are highly effective safeguards against depressive symptoms later in life, as is educational achievement. Teenage romantic relationships, pregnancy and multiple sex partners pose modest risks, while alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use reveal mixed associations.Westmont Blake Victor Kent, the study's lead author, is assistant professor of sociology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara.1 Column Content Background Color White Heading...