4 Troubled Teens Blog

A survey conducted by the Boston Public Health Commission found some chilling results. Nearly half of the kids surveyed said they think R&B star Rihanna was "responsible" for the beating she received during a fight with her boyfriend Chris Brown:

"Every single one of the 200 12- to 19-year-old kids surveyed had heard about the incident involving the two R&B starts that took place hours before the Grammys on Feb. 8... 46 percent of the kids surveyed said they thought Rihanna was to blame for the beating."

Many parents and advocacy organizations expressed their misgivings when Rihanna and Brown got back together again after the fight. Many report being fearful that this is one more incident that "normalizes" relational and domestic violence. Source: The Boston Globe

Labels: relationships, violence, abuse

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According to the U.S. Department of Justice nearly one-third of all teenagers are, or have been, in an abusive relationship. Unfortunately, someone who stays in an abusive relationship long enough begins to feel like there's no way out.

"Is there a way to escape these relationships? Yes, and the first step is asking for help. Talking to your family and being honest about what is going on is a good first step... Close friends are also good to confide in to help take steps toward getting out and can offer support when talking to a professional or parent."

Ending a relationship is always difficult. Abuse relationships can be even harder to escape because the abuser has established control. But there are many ways to get out, and many people are people willing to help. Source: Grand Forks (MN) Herald

Read more about Teen Dating Violence

Labels: relationships, abuse

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Young men who have childhood histories of physical abuse are four and a half times more likely than non-abused boys to use sexually coercive behavior against females. However, the majority of young men with such histories do not exploit girls in this way.

Sexually coercive behavior includes pressuring, persuading, insisting, manipulating, lying, or using physical force to force a partner to have sex when she does not want to.

Professor Erin Casey and her colleagues at the University of Washington studied 5650 men, all of whom participated in three interviews from ages 16 to 22 years old. All participants were heterosexual and had experienced sexual intercourse at least once.

Only 5.6 percent of the participants reported using sexual coercion against a female. However, this group was much more likely to report a childhood history of sexual or physical abuse.

"The higher the frequency of childhood abuse, the more likely a young adult was to engage in sexually coercive behaviors," Dr. Casey said, emphasizing that 55 percent of the men who had been abused did not grow up to use sexually coercive behaviors. She found no link between alcohol problems and sexually coercion.

This study appeared on the ScienceDaily website.

Labels: sex, boys, abuse

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Alternative therapies do not help children who have been traumatized by violence or abuse, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. However, the study did find that conventional talk therapy is effective.

A research team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed a dozen previous studies and found no evidence that alternative therapies provide good outcomes for children who have gone through physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, or natural disasters.

The therapies reviewed were play and art therapy (in which children use toys or art to express threatening thoughts or feelings) and psychological debriefing (in which a group of children who have witnessed a traumatic event share thoughts and feelings).

Talk therapy involves having the child sit down for several sessions with a trained therapist who helps him explore and change her thoughts and beliefs..

Labels: trauma, therapy, abuse

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In the wake of the Catholic church's priest-abuse crisis, the Philadelphia archdiocese has released a short film that seeks to educate teens about sexual abuse, and urge them to report sexual violence. In the film, teens are reminded that victims of sexual abuse are never to blame.

"Cardinal Justin Rigali introduced the film to an audience of several hundred people at St. Joseph's University, including selected students. He said afterwards that the goal was to give hope to victims, not to dwell on abusers."

The film will be shown to sophomores, juniors, and seniors at all 21 of the archdiocese's Philadelphia-area high schools. Source: Associated Press

Labels: violence, sex, abuse

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For decades, childhood depression has been linked to issues such as abuse, abandonment, brain injury, and chronic anxiety. But British Columbia Children's Hospital psychiatrist Jane Garland wants to add something to the list: "affluenza".

"Children who are overly indulged or who use a depressive coping style may develop what she calls 'learned helplessness' and can be heard saying things such as, 'Nothing ever works out for me,' or 'There's no use trying,' or 'Nothing I do ever makes a difference.'"

Affluenza is seen as an increasing problem among today's teenagers, many of whose parents are detached and uninvolved, and who rarely suffer consequences for their actions. The lack of attention and discipline creates a mindset in the children that they can get whatever they want with little or effort. Doses of reality - a low test score, or not being selected for a school sports team - can trigger depressive episodes. Source: Canwest News Service

Labels: depression, anxiety, abuse

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When Ashley was 18 years old, she was raped by her high school boyfriend. Now, over a decade later, the emotional scars haven't completely healed. She has begun speaking to teens and parents, hoping to raise awareness about teen dating violence.

"According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, 13 percent of teenage girls in relationships say they've been physically abused. Only 33 percent of teenagers in abusive relationships ask for help, and less than 25 percent say they've talked about dating violence with their parents."

That's why Ashley has become a public speaker. She hopes that if she talks first, young girls who are in unhealthy relationships will feel the freedom to start talking, too. Source: KBTX

Labels: violence, dating, abuse

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In 2004, Ken Smith - president and CEO of Forest Hill - attended a program sponsored through St. Vincent's Center. It was there that he heard the tragic story of a family that had been devastated by child sexual abuse, and he decided that more needed to be done.

"Smith believed the problem needed high profile exposure to bring it to the forefront of society and that the first step to prevent child sexual abuse is public awareness. In order to bring the message to the public, a forum had to be found that would attract both children and adults."

Ken's brother and his son, Steve and Stevie, had very successful careers in sprint car-racing. Ken approached them about driving under the banner of the RAACE Foundation (Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere), and TEAM RAACE was born. The foundation also holds events throughout the year in an effort to continue raising awareness about child sexual abuse. Read more at RAACE.org.

Labels: awareness, abuse, advocay

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Attachment disorders can be cause by a myriad of things. Unmet needs in infancy, abuse, placement in foster care or some other form of severe trauma can cause a child to develop this disorder. In an effort to help parents, caregivers and professionals alike learn how to interact with children who have attachment disorders, the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth sponsored a three-hour seminar titled "Childhood Attachment and Attachment Disorders."

"While discussing healthy and unhealthy attachments, [Kevin] Wood [of Agape Child and Family Services] asked the audience to describe some of the characteristics of children they work with. Angry, apathetic, violent, self-destructive, defiant, emotionally unstable, bullying, thrill-seeking, attention-getting, defensive and uncooperative are a sampling."

Wood encouraged the audience that such behaviors can be improved. He also stressed the importance of talking about why the behavior, not the child, is wrong. Read more at JacksonSun.com.

Learn more about Attachment Disorders and schools that are geared to help children with Attachment Disorder and Adoption Issues at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: trauma, abuse, attachment_disorders

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Mary Hopkins began counseling at-risk boys and girls in 1982. Now, twenty-five years later, she's being recognized as a local hero as part of Bank of America's "Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Awards."

"Hopkins, a New Jersey native, became a local volunteer in 1982 at the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento, an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. After three or four years there, she joined the Foster Grandparent Program sponsored by Sacramento County's Department of Human Assistance. In this capacity, she began counseling boys and girls at juvenile hall."

Hopkins is now volunteering at the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center, a juvenile center for boys and girls who have committed crimes. Though she's a bit embarrassed to be recognized for her work, her boss believes it's deserved. "She has withstood the test of time," he said.

Labels: support, abuse, counseling

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Created in 1983, Project Safe Place acts as a "first step" that teens can take when they need help but aren't sure where to go. Safe Place Coordinators partner with local businesses, like the ones in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to connect troubled or at-risk teens with local social services."

Children run away from home to escape abuse or neglect, the drug or alcohol problems of family members, and sometimes, family members force them to leave, the Web site stated... 'The program allows a runaway child or a child in distress to get help pretty quick,' [Deputy Fire Chief Jimmy] Francis said."

Safe Place currently operations in multiple cities in 40 states and seeks to expand. There are currently 21 Safe Place locations in Murfreesboro and 16 teens have taken refuge thus far. Read more at DNJ.com.

Labels: runaways, abuse, social_services

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A study out of Oregon State University has found a surprising link between attempted suicide and abusive behavior in young men. Teenage boys who tried to kill themselves before reaching the age of 18 were significantly more likely to abuse their partners as young adults.

“When followed from their early teens, 58 percent of males studied who had attempted suicide went on to injure a partner, compared to 23 percent of young men who had not attempted suicide …

Even after controlling for other variables such as aggression, depression, substance abuse and a family history of abuse, there was still an association between attempted suicide and aggression toward partners.” [Source: Psychological Medicine]

Teenage boys who considered suicide but never acted showed no increase in violent behavior, leading some to speculate that a man’s ability to harm himself may increase his capacity for hurting other people.

 

Labels: violence, suicide, abuse

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Young men 18 years old and under who attempt suicide are twice as likely to physically abuse their wives or girlfriends, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine.

• Professors David Kerr of Oregon State University and Deborah Capaldi of the Oregon Social Learning Center studied 153 males from age ten to 32 years old who live in high crime neighborhoods.
• Among those who were suicidal, 58 percent were physically abusive to their romantic partners.
• Among those who had no suicidal ideation, 28 percent were physically abusive to their partners.

"This study began when these men were kids, before anyone knew who was going to become violent," said Dr. Kerr. "That was quite different from research that starts with violent men or women from domestic violence shelters and tries to look back in time for explanations."

Though domestic violence is often mistakenly viewed as an "adult problem," relationship abuse among teens and adolescents remains a prevalent problem.
 

Labels: relationships, violence, suicide, abuse

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Children who have a history of child abuse, as recorded by a government child protection agency, are much more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders, and to abuse substances, according to a new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

• Researchers from the University of Otago-Wellington in New Zealand went through records from a national child protection agency and found 221 children with a history of maltreatment.
• After comparing them to about 1900 young adults with no such history, the researchers found a ten-fold higher incidence of posttraumatic stress syndrome, as well as greater odds of other anxiety and mood disorders, and drug abuse among the abused children.

"This implies that targeted mental health interventions with present or past clients of child welfare agencies are indicated, in addition to interventions currently provided to stop or reduce maltreatment, and that concerted strategies are required to address the needs of many children who experienced maltreatment," according to the study.
 

Labels: abuse

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 2 Comments

Teenage sex offenders have the same level of social competence as non-offenders, according to a new study from the University of Lethbridge in Canada.

• Professor Martin LaLumiere and his colleagues analyzed 59 previous studies of more than 3,800 male sex offenders, comparing them with non-offenders in the same age group, 12 to 18 years old.
• Sex offenders tended to have been sexually abused as children and to have atypical sexual interests, and they were more likely to feel socially isolated.
• However, the teens sex offenders had about the same degree of social skills and the same number of family problems as non-offenders.
• Dr. LaLumiere said that although social skills training is often included in their rehabilitation, it is probably unnecessary.
• The researchers concluded that prevention of childhood sexual abuse might be a better strategy toward reducing sex crimes among young people.

The study appeared in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
 

Labels: sexual abuse, abuse

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