As transitional youth age, their employment success declines. The majority of students with serious emotional disturbance are arrested within 5 years of leaving school. The rate of unplanned pregnancies is high. Low self esteem, impulse control and other factors lead to increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection. African-American youth are particularly unlikely to gain employment.
Continued poverty is likely for many transitional youth.
Appropriate and strong social support networks are rare. Transitional youth often have tenuous ties to family, or enter adulthood without any family entity. Youth who have brain disorders in transition from school to adulthood are a heterogeneous population. Despite their differences, these youth tend to share the following social characteristics that place them at high risk for incarceration, repeated hospitalization, and homelessness. Without emotional maturity, social or independent living skills, or connections to community supports, transition aged youth with brain disorders fall far.