4. 1. Nobody’s perfect and all children will
have bouts of bad behavior. When things
start to get out of hand, however it may
be a clue that something in the child or
teen’s life need attention. Adolescent can
seem irritable or even hostile because
they are trying to show that they’re
growing up.
2. It is important to understand that
children can start acting out when there
are other stresses in their lives.
Reassuring the child and providing extra
care may help to get them through this
stressful times and sometimes they need
professional help.
6. Who is Adolosent ?
The World Health Organization
(WHO) identifies adolescence as
the period in human growth and
development that occurs after
childhood and before adulthood,
from ages 10 to19.
8. Problems in Adolescence
• face pressures to use alcohol, cigarettes,
or other drugs
• initiate sexual relationships at earlier
ages
• putting themselves at high risk for
intentional and unintentional injuries
• unintended pregnancies,
9. Psychosocial Problems: Nature and Co-
Variation
Substance abuse – the maladaptive use of
drugs (legal and illegal)
Internalizing disorders – problems are turned
inward (emotional and cognitive distress)
Externalizing disorders – problems are turned
outward (behavioral problems)
Substance abuse problems tend to be
externalizing problems
10. Problem Behavior Syndrome
• Many adolescents with psychosocial
problems have more than one type of
problem at once
• The co morbidity of externalizing and
substance abuse problems has led
researchers to propose theoretical
explanations for this phenomenon,
sometimes called Problem Behavior
Syndrome
11. Problem Behavior Syndrome:
Theoretical Explanations
• Unconventionality in adolescents’ personality and
social environment leads to risk-taking behaviors
(Jessor)
– Tolerance of deviance
– Not connected to school/religious institutions
– Highly liberal views
• Involvement in one problem behavior may lead to
involvement in a second one (Kandel)
12. Prevalence of Substance Use and
Abuse
Most adolescents have experimented with
cigarette, tobacco, and local alcohol but not with
other drugs
Only a very small number of adolescents use any
substance daily (one-sixth smoke cigarettes every
day)
13. Earlier Age of Initiation
Adolescents are experimenting with
drugs at earlier ages than in the past
The chances of becoming addicted to
alcohol or nicotine are increased when
use begins before age 14
Drugs can affect dopamine
production in the brain, possibly
altering it permanently
The effects of alcohol and nicotine on
brain functioning (especially memory)
are worse in adolescence than in
adulthood
14. Risk Factors For Substance Abuse
• Major risk factors are:
–Personality – Anger, impulsivity, and
inattentiveness
–Family – Distant, hostile, or conflicted
relationships
–Socially – Friends who use and tolerate
the use of drugs, living in a context that
makes drug use easy
15. Externalizing Problems: Conduct
Disorder
• Conduct disorder: a pattern of
persistent antisocial behavior that
routinely violates the rights of others
and leads to problems in social
relationships, school, or work
– Related diagnosis is oppositional-
defiant disorder (less aggressive)
• If CD persists beyond age 18, may be
diagnosed with antisocial personality
disorder, characterized by a lack of
regard for moral standards
(psychopaths)
16. Adolescent Offenders
• Life-course persistent offenders
– Demonstrate antisocial behavior before adolescence
– Are involved in delinquency during adolescence
– Are at great risk for continuing criminal activity in
adulthood
• Adolescent-limited offenders
– Engage in antisocial behavior only during
adolescence
17. Life-Course Persistent Offenders
• Usually are poor, male, perform poorly in
school
• From disorganized families with hostile or
inept parents
– Harsh parenting may affect brain chemistry
(serotonin)
– Have histories of aggression identifiable as
early as age 8
• Have problems with self regulation
– More likely than peers to suffer from ADHD
18. Adolescent-Limited Offending
• Do not usually show signs of psychological
problems or family pathology
• More mental health, substance abuse, and
financial problems
• Risk factors include:
– Poor parenting (especially poor monitoring)
– Affiliation with antisocial peers
19. Protective Factors
o Major protective factors are:
– Positive mental health
– high academic achievement
– engagement in school
– close family relationships
– involvement in religious activities
o The most encouraging interventions are
programs that combine
– Social competence training
– Community-wide interventions aimed at
adolescents, peers, parents, and teachers
20. Depression in Adolescence
Depression is the most common
internalizing problems among
adolescents
Emotional symptoms: decreased
enjoyment of pleasurable activities,
Motivational symptoms: apathy,
boredom
Physical symptoms: loss of
appetite, difficulty sleeping, loss of
energy
21. Sex Differences in Depression
• Before adolescence, boys are more likely
to exhibit depressive symptoms
• After puberty, girls are more likely to be
depressed, possibly because of:
– Gender roles – pressure to act passive,
dependent, and fragile
– Greater levels of stress during early
adolescence
– Greater sensitivity to others (oxytocin)
22. Adolescent Suicide
• 20% of high school students think about killing
themselves every year (suicidal ideation)
• Risk factors include:
– Having a psychiatric problem
– Having a family history of suicide
– Experiencing extreme family conflict
– Being under intense stress like fail in the
exam
23. Stress and Coping
• Stress responses vary.
Multiple stressors have a much greater
impact than single stressors (multiplicative)
Using more effective coping strategies
buffers the effects of stress
• Primary control – taking steps to change
the source of stress (usually the best
strategy)
• Secondary control strategies – trying to
adapt to the problem (better when
situation is uncontrollable)
25. Treatment Approaches
• Biological therapies – Antidepressant
medications (SSRIs) that address the
neuroendocrine problems that may exist
• Psychotherapies – Designed to help adolescents
understand the roots of their depression or
change their cognitions
• Family therapy – Changing patterns of family
relationships that contribute to symptoms
26. Prevention Approaches
• Primary prevention – Teaching adolescents
life skills to help them cope with stress
• Secondary prevention – Aimed at
adolescents who are at risk for depression
or are under stress
29. CONCLUSION
• Reassuring the child and providing extra care
• Seek professional help, particularly if the problems last
many months and are severe
• the first and fore most duty of parents, relatives and
neighbor is to take special care
Notas do Editor
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