"'Sometimes it can be very intense when a child is explaining a story, some of the allegations society can't even fathom,' said [Kristi] Turner. 'It's hard for me being in this profession being used to heard those stories, but people who aren't in this profession would be totally shocked by some of the things that we hear.'"

Labels: child_abuse, risky_behaviors, trauma

"These events represent an idea that there is something about female sexuality that needs to be controlled by dominant men in the household," Professor Mary Zeiss Stange of Skidmore College told the Chicago Tribune. "That relates to a patriarchal position in the evangelical movement that not only defines female sexuality but females themselves as property. ... The daughter becomes her father's property until he hands her off to her husband."

Labels: fathers, girls, virginity

Labels: advice, assessment, drug_testing

Labels: pregnancy, teenage_mothers, unwed_mothers

"Recent research by Dr. Madeline Levine, an American psychologist, found that children from affluent homes... were three times more likely to suffer anxiety and depression than ordinary teenagers. Bullying and anxiety about academic performance are cited as common reasons and the stress may manifest itself in anorexia, bulimia - or, increasingly, self-harming."

Labels: affluence, cutting, self-harm

"Both boys and girls who had experienced dating violence were more likely to display three or more of 10 behavioral and psychological health problems including binge eating, cigarette smoking, alcohol or marijuana use, depressive symptoms and low self-esteem, the researchers found. The relationship was particularly strong for girls."

Labels: dating, risky_behaviors, violence

"They're not a thoughtful bunch, by and large," said Robert Carothers, president of the University of Rhode Island and a former member of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse.

He and others point out that potential employers can view at these postings, which often last for years on web searches. Carothers says that he has told students, "Look, these pictures are evidence you're doing something illegal."

Labels: binge_drinking, regrets, social_networking

"Annual prevalence for the three grades combined [8th, 10th, and 12th] did fall significantly this year for both Ritalin and methamphetamine. Ritalin is a prescription amphetamine drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its use outside of medical supervision was first measured in the study in 2001; it has been falling since then, with total declines of between 25 percent and 42 percent at each grade level."

Labels: addictions, drug_use, prescription_drug_abuse

"[Psychologist Dr. Louis] Mortillaro said some warning signs for potential violent outbursts in children include feelings of not fitting in, kids who are teased constantly, those who are sent to the office for harming classmates or animals and those who are not afraid to act on their violent tendencies"

Labels: influences, parental_involvement, violence

Labels: myspace, schools, social_networking

"It is not just kids in bad neighborhoods or with bad friends who are exposed to bad things when they go out on the street," he explained. "A 'virtual' bad street is easily available to most youth now."

Labels: video_games, violence, virtual_worlds

"The teens had all been sexually active, and many had unplanned and unprotected sex. While they said their parents and teachers encouraged them to make responsible sexual choices, the sexually explicit messages [in the media] were more powerful in shaping their attitudes."

Labels: media, promiscuity, sex

"I wouldn't be focusing on early sex to lower the rates of delinquency," Harden said.

Labels: delinquents, sex

"New research released last week in the journal Child Development found evidence that a family's harmony - how it interacts, addresses conflict and offers support and involvement - correlates with how soon a girl reaches puberty…Girls who hit puberty earlier are more at risk for mood disorders, substance abuse, teen pregnancy and even reproductive cancers as a result of early sexual activity."

Labels: family, maturity, trends

"The U.S. Consulate in Merida, Mexico, whose territory includes Cancun, says that during the eight-week spring break period in 2002, U.S. students accounted for two deaths, 360 arrests, four injuries that required medical evacuations out of the area, one rape, 495 reports of lost or stolen property and 504 'general welfare inquiries'."

Labels: risky_behaviors, spring_break, travel

"Sophomore Taylor Evans believes that 'the stress and constant worry about keeping grades up and passing classes combined with having to struggle to figure out what it is that you want to do for the rest of your life' are primary causes behind these illnesses."

Labels: anxiety, college, depression

"Steve Pine, regional coordinator for career and technical education at the Southern Oregon Education Service District, and Sam Baldoni, owner of Inspired Films Inc., hope to launch the Oregon Youth Academy for grades nine through 12 by fall 2009."

Labels: homelessness, hope, teachers