DraftIn this article we will examine the stage of adolescence in the life journey. Race/ethnicity, social class, and gender are related to adolescent resources and well-being because….. The social problem we will examine is depression and its correlation with changes in family structure and the effects that both have on adolescence. One of the major shortcomings of the analysis of parental absence (is that there have not been many studies that have presented data representing race/ethnicity separately (Amato 545).) Before going any further in this article, we will start by identifying what This stage of the life journey is considered adolescence. Adolescence is the stage of life when a child is becoming a young adult. During this stage of life, adolescents experience biological growth and development, a state of unidentified status, increased major decision-making, increased pressure, and a search for self. [need to find something to support this]. Race/ethnicity, social class, and gender are all important aspects of the adolescent stage in the life course as well as the adolescent's family structure. Critical Review of Literature As mentioned above, this stage of the life course is crucial because it is where a child becomes an adult.a. Race/ethnicityb. Class: “experience higher levels of depression correlated with difficult economic conditions” (Portnoy 127)c. Gender “Existing evidence regarding gender effects is also inconclusive” (Culpin et al. 2616). There is some evidence of gender effects in the association between father absence and depressive symptoms, with girls being more affected than boys, but... ... middle of paper ..... This can be seen as an opportunity for growth. However, in Portnoy's article, his findings prove that "children of divorce have higher levels of depression and anxiety, lower self-esteem, and more frequent use of psychological services" (127 ). Depression accompanied by the death of a parent, as well as other forms of loss. , the death of a parent is another extremely painful experience. By the age of 11, 3% of children in this country will have been affected by the death of their parents (Keenan 32). Five years later, at the age of 16, this figure rose to more than 5% (Elliot and Shepherd 836-43). ConclusionDepression can be caused by many different factors, but divorce and the death of a parent can be directly linked to worsening levels of depression. More research needs to be done on gender, class, and race/ethnicity. Girls tend to have higher levels of depression in given situations.