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Chapter Twelve
Problems of Youth
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Chapter Objectives
To examine common problem behaviors that can arise in adolescence, and distinguish those that are likely to disrupt the course of healthy development from those that are not
To look at adolescent runaways and the types of support available to them and their parents
To examine the nature of maltreatment in adolescence and discover the conditions under which this is likely to occur
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3. Chapter Objectives continued
To look at delinquent behavior s in adolescence, identifying behaviors that are normative and those that are not
To study gangs and see how these have changed over time and what functions they serve
To look at the use of various drugs by adolescents and the potential risks involved
To identify common eating disorders in adolescence
To look at depression and suicide in adolescence
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4. Alienation and the Failure to Cope
Feelings of estrangement are common and can be triggered by pubertal changes, identity issues and cultural estrangement
Runaway youth are frequently abused or neglected by family members
Runaway youth suffer from low self-esteem, depression, poor interpersonal skills, insecurity, anxiousness, impulsiveness, lack of personal control
Home life is chaotic and characterized by violence
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5. Factors that Characterize Abusive Families
Three home life patterns distinguish adolescents who are abused:
abuse may be a continuation of abusive patterns that started in childhood
cause may reflect change in the type of discipline used when they reach adolescence
cause may be occasioned by the onset of adolescence
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6. Factors that Characterize Abusive Families
Difficulty coping with stress
A negative, defensive world-view
Inappropriate expectations of adolescents
Less supportive and warm partners
Poverty
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Juvenile Delinquency
Involves illegal behavior committed by a minor
Two types of offenses:
Status offenses are behaviors that are illegal when engaged in by minors but are legal for adults
Index offenses are behaviors that are criminal at any age
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8. Patterns of Delinquency
Varies with age
Little evidence that minor forms of delinquency predict later shift to more serious crime
A small subgroup of delinquents who start early account for a large proportion of criminal activity
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9. Gender, Ethnicity and Delinquency
Gender, ethnic and social class differences exist
Females are less likely to engage in delinquent activities than are male
Females are less likely to commit violent crimes
Bias within the juvenile justice system is noticeable by the large ethnic differences in the numbers of adolescents entering the juvenile justice system.
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10. Perspective on Juvenile Delinquency
Individual-differences perspective attributes delinquency to individual traits and characters
Social contextual perspective looks at parent’s role in shaping traits in their children and shaping social environments
Nurturant and involved parenting decreased the risk of delinquency
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11. Gang Behavior and Violence
Juvenile gangs have changed over the past generation
More likely to be linked to organized crime
Are associated with more violent crimes and the sale of narcotics
Teens are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime as are young adults.
Homicide is the second leading cause of death for all young people
Most are killed with a firearm
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Adolescents and Drugs
Physical drug dependence occurs with psychoactive substances
Psychoactive substances control behavior making it difficult to discontinue use
Dependence on drug involves developing a tolerance for it
Increased amounts are necessary to achieve the same effect
Withdrawal results when use is discontinued
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13. Adolescents and Alcohol
Adolescents are likely to try alcohol, then cigarettes and then marijuana
Alcohol depresses the activity of the central nervous system
Loosens inhibitions and makes individuals feel more spontaneous
As blood-alcohol level rises, activities controlled by the central nervous system are increasingly affected
Most high school seniors have tried alcohol and many do so with some regularity
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14. Adolescents and Smoking
The only substance that a sizable number of adolescents use on daily basis
Smoking poses a serious health risk of all drugs to adolescents
Those who start to smoke have tried unsuccessfully to stop
Smoking is associated with the use of other, illicit substances
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15. Adolescents and Marijuana
Marijuana is a mild hallucinogen that affects thought, perception, reaction time, and coordination
Long-term heavy use carries a number health risks
Of all illicit drugs, marijuana is the most frequently used by adolescents
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16. Adolescents and Drugs: Trends
The use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana increases with age
African American adolescents are less likely to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes then European American or Hispanic adolescents
Early adolescent females drink more than males their age
Females are as likely as males to smoke cigarettes, but less likely to use marijuana
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17. Adolescents and Drugs: Patterns
Gateway hypothesis: drugs progress through a sequence of stages, with the use of one type of drug providing a pathway to the use of other drugs
The extent to which adolescents become involved in the use of a drug is important in predicting progression to a higher stage
Alcohol is the first drug used
Followed by cigarettes
Followed by marijuana
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18. Adolescents and Drugs: At-Risk Factors
Have not adjusted well to home, school, life in general
Impulsive
Low self-esteem
Poor achievement in school
Problematic relations with peers
Have friends that do drugs
Likely to have less nurturing parents
Likely to have parents who abuse drugs
Likely to live in violent communities
Have drugs more available to them
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19. Adolescents and Drugs: Protective Factors
High self-esteem
Good social skills
Involvement in religion
Friends who do not abuse drugs
Good performance in school
Parents who are warm, communicative and monitor their activities
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Adolescents and Drugs
Media campaigns have been effective in changing adolescent’s perception of the harmfulness of drugs
The proportion of adolescents using drugs has continued to decline over the past decade
Most drugs that adolescents report using were used by fewer than 2% of seniors, with the exception of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana
Efforts to prevent drug abuse include: controlling access to drugs, media campaigns school-based educational programs
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Adolescents and Drugs
Most adolescents will experiment with some drugs before they reach adulthood
Most will also not use them frequently
Even casual experimentation with some substances carry substantial risk
Candid discussions that acknowledge the pleasurable effects of drugs as well as their potential dangers is effective in providing help to adolescents
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Eating Disorders
Standards for female attractiveness show thinner models today than in past generations
Problematic trend in that eating disorders are more common among females
Bulimia: Binge eating alternated with purging through self-induced vomiting, laxatives, or diuretics
Anorexia: food intake is severely limited to the point of self-starvations
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23. Eating Disorders: Family Characteristics
More likely to occur in adolescents who come from families:
Characterized by enmeshment
Over protectiveness
Rigidity
Inadequate conflict resolution
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24. Overweight Adolescents
Are defined as being at or above the 95 percentile in weight for their age and sex
Are likely to have parents who are overweight
Are likely to eat irregularly and eat food that is denser in calories
More inactive than adolescents of average weight
Treatment includes exercise and involvement of the family
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Depression
Is an affective disorder that has a number of forms:
Adolescents with major depressive disorders can suffer debilitating depression that can last for several weeks
Dysthmia is less severe but longer-lasting symptoms
Adjustment disorders experience brief bouts of depression brought on by stress
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Depression
Adolescents who suffer from depression have:
low self-esteem
sadness, hopelessness
helplessness
Adolescents can mask depression by physical symptoms in early adolescence
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Suicide
Nearly 17% of high school students indicate having thought about attempting suicide within the last year
Nearly 9% actually attempt suicide
Is the third most common cause of death among adolescents
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28. Suicide: Warning Signs
Sudden changes in behavior
Changes in sleeping or eating patterns
Loss of interest in usual activities
Withdrawal from others
Experiencing a humiliating event
Feelings of guilt or hopelessness
Inability to concentrate
Talk of suicide
Giving away important possessions
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29. Suicide: At-Risk Factors
Depression
A prior suicide attempt
Substance abuse
Life stresses
Chaotic family life
Most effective treatment programs work with the family as well as the suicidal adolescent
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