4 Troubled Teens Blog

Well-meaning advertisements designed to stop teenage drinking may backfire and make them drink more, according to a new study from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

• Professor Adam Duhachek and his colleagues studied 1,200 undergraduates who saw two ads against drinking.
  
• The first one depicted a person vomiting after drinking, and the second was about how drinking can adversely affect loved ones.
  
• The participants who felt the most guilty after looking at the ads told researchers they were more likely to binge drink in the coming year.

Dr. Duhachek called the phenomenon "defensive processing," which occurs when a person reacts negatively to messages that provoke feelings of guilt or shame.

Groups such as the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control frequently develop public service announcements aimed against unprotected sex, drug use, drinking, smoking, and other risky teenage behaviors. Dr. Duhachek's study has implications for the contents of these messages.

Labels: advertisements, behavioral_issues, media

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A controversial study from Cardiff University in Great Britain found that children who eat sweets and chocolate every day are more likely to become violent adults.

Dr. Simon Moore and his colleagues evaluated data on 17,500 people and found that almost 70 percent of those who had eaten sweets every day as children became violent adults by age 34 years old.

"Not being able to delay gratification may push them towards more impulsive behavior, which is strongly associated with delinquency," said Dr. Moore. "Targeting resources in improving children's diet may improve health and reduce aggression."

Labels: violence, behavioral_issues, diet

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When Assistant District Attorney H.C. Bright started working in Hamilton County, Tennessee, he was shocked at the number of juvenile arson cases. While it was rare in adult cases, it was almost "normal" in juvenile ones.

"Children younger than 18 set more than 17,000 of the 32,500 intentional fires in 2007, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Juvenile arson and accidental fires result in more than 300 deaths and 2,000 injuries annually ...
(Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press)

While some kids start playing with fire out of mere curiosity, others do it as a way of acting out (which may indicate the presence of a conduct disorder or other mental health issue). Regardless of their motivation, few young people who start fires seem to be aware of the potential damage that their actions can cause to people and property.

Labels: behavioral_issues, conduct disorder

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Research conducted by a public health scholar at the University of Alberta (Canada) found that people who exhibited bad behavior during adolescence were more likely to develop problems as adults. The conclusion comes after Ian Colman analyzed data from a long-term behavioral study.

"The group of subjects has been followed all of their lives through questionnaires and interviews...Of the 3,500 subjects... about 29 percent exhibited some form of behavioral problems [as teenagers], such as disobedience in class, skipping class...."

When those same subjects were interviewed later in life, Colman found that people who'd had even mild issues were experiencing trouble as adults, including unwanted pregnancies, depression, and family problems. Source: Canwest (Canada) News Service

Labels: behavioral_issues, adulthood

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Watching violence on television and in movies and video games is linked to violent behaviors in teenagers, according to a new study from Rutgers University.

Dr. Paul Boxer and his colleagues surveyed 820 teens, parents and teachers. Half of the teens were juvenile offenders in detention centers. Participants reported about their favorite TV shows, movies and video games starting at age seven. Those who preferred the more violent fares were more likely to engage in violent behaviors as teenagers.

The researchers took into consideration other factors such as academic failures, emotional problems, and exposure to real-life violence when they calculated their results.

"Even in conjunction with other factors, our research shows that media violence does enhance violent behavior," Dr. Boxer said. "On average, adolescents who were not exposed to violent media are not as prone to violent behavior. There can be very little doubt that exposure to violence in the media has a consistent and substantial impact on aggressive behaviors."

This study appeared in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Labels: violence, behavioral_issues, influences

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Two studies - one from Great Britain and another from Florida State University - both point to a biological basis for certain delinquent behaviors in teenaged boys.

The British study, which was conducted by researchers at Cambridge University, found a connection between the hormone cortisol and anti-social behaviors among boys ages 14 to 18 years old. This study appeared in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

The human body produces cortisol when undergoing stress. Cortisol is believed to make people become cautious and control their tempers and violent impulses when they find themselves in difficult circumstances.

The Cambridge researchers recruited 165 boys, some of whom were youthful offenders. The boys underwent cortisol level tests before and after they played a computer game rigged to make them angry. In most boys, cortisol levels rose. However, in boys with a history of difficult behaviors, cortisol levels tended to fall.

The Florida State research team analyzed data about family, friends, and genetics that had been collected from 1,816 middle school and high school students. The researchers found that boys who possess a certain gene variant were more likely to associate with delinquent friends. This did not hold true for girls with the variant.

"This research is groundbreaking because it shows that the propensity in some adolescents to affiliate with delinquent peers is tied up in the genome," said Dr. Kevin Beaver, an assistant professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

However, the team also found that environment plays a role in whether boys associate with delinquent peers. The boys with the gene variant who came from "low-risk" (nurturing) families did not tend to associate with delinquents.

The Florida State study appeared in the Journal of Genetic Psychology.

Labels: behavioral_issues, boys, anti-social

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A Finnish study of more than 7,000 teenagers concluded that inactivity in young people is linked to increased anxiety and depression, as well as to emotional and behavioral problems. Inactive boys and girls suffered from more attention and social problems, such as rule breaking, than teens who exercised often. Inactive girls reported more sleep problems.

"Adolescence is a complicated and sometimes difficult stage of life - emotionally, mentally and physically," the study's author, Marko Kantomaa, said. "Compounding that with negative mental and emotional effects brought on by physical inactivity does not help young people ease into adulthood. Physical activity could be a highly effective and relatively easy way to help that transition."

This study appeared in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Labels: emotional_issues, behavioral_issues, exercise

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Teens who struggle with depression, anxiety and/or suicidal thoughts may not know how to verbally tell someone they're in trouble. But they know how to show it.

"...depression manifests itself differently in boys and girls. 'Boys show depression through anger or temper outbursts; it's unusual for a teen boy to show sadness,' said Mr. Butero. 'Young people, especially adolescent boys, mask depression as anger. Acting-out behaviors are often as much of a cry for help.'"

A Harvard study found that less than half of teen patients that struggled with depression expressed classic symptoms - instead, they developed a mix of mood and behavior problems, such as agitation or defiance. Source: SouthCoast Today (MA)

Labels: depression, behavioral_issues, mood_disorders

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A study from the University of Arizona reveals that the decisions teens make about whether to act aggressively in early adolescence influence their future behaviors as young adults. This is the first research that indicates decision-making and behavior are related over time.

Researchers asked 522 middle and high school students and their parents to complete questionnaires about aggressive behaviors such as fighting, lying, bullying, and stealing. When the teens were in grades 8 and then grade 11, they watched videos that presented situations in which they could choose to act aggressively. For example, in one scenario, a teen picks up an abandoned backpack and then someone picks a fight with him. The first teen has to decide whether to fight back.

The results of the study indicate that there is a link between antisocial conduct and judgments about aggressive behaviors in early, middle, and late adolescence, and that the way teens evaluate aggressive behaviors influences their own behaviors and decisions.

This study appears in the journal Child Development.

Labels: aggression, behavioral_issues, studies

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Having a childhood mental disorder, especially hyperactivity, conduct and substance abuse disorders, puts a person more at risk for adult criminality, according to a study from Duke University's Center for Developmental Epidemiology.

Social scientists at the Center interviewed and tested children at ages 9 and 10, and again at ages 11 and 13, and then reassessed them every year until they were 16 years old. About one-third of these children met the criteria for at least one childhood mental disorder at any of the three assessment points.

By the time the children had become young adults (ages 16 to 21 years), about a third had been arrested. Among this group, about one-half had been diagnosed with mental disorders during those earlier assessments. Children with disruptive behavior disorders and substance abuse disorders were more likely to get into trouble with the law later on, especially those with emotional disorders comorbid with substance abuse.

The researchers were quick to point out that their results mean only that a large percentage of young adults who get arrested had a mental disorder at some point in their adolescence. It does not mean that most youths with mental disorders will be arrested. However, the study may have implications for the necessity to treat children with mental disorders.

This study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Think a military school can help your struggling teenager turn their life around? Learn about military schools at www.militaryschoolalternatives.com.

Labels: behavioral_issues, influences, criminals

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Teens in Scotland are become the subject of much talk and speculation. As teen violence increases and parental guidance decreases, teens are beginning to terrorize their communities.

"Closer to home, teenage gangs have disrupted life for residents in Granton Crescent, driving at least three families from their homes because of their wayward and uncontrollable behavior, while earlier this month a gang of around 20 teenagers attacked an elderly man in Minto Street before boarding a bus then smashing three of its windows."

Youth workers and other experts remind parents that setting boundaries in a necessary part of parenting. Children need to learn, at an early age, that some behavior is simply unacceptable. Building a solid relationship with your child will make the issue of boundaries an easier one. Read more at Living.Scotsman.com.

An increase in violence can be the result of teen drug and alcohol abuse. Learn how to keep you teen safe and away from drugs and alcohol at the Teen-Help-Directory.

Labels: violence, risky_behaviors, behavioral_issues

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Dr. Robert Chalfant, medical director of Colorado West Mental Health and child adolescent psychiatrist says it's time to take mental health issues as seriously as things like high blood pressure and diabetes. The causes, he says, are the same  genetics and environment  for both mental and physical illnesses, but because of the stigma associated with mental health issues, many go untreated.

"Throughout the U.S., 15 million children and adolescents suffer from a serious emotional or mental disorder, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. And when left untreated, youth mental illnesses are associated with higher rates of academic failure, school drop-outs, problems at home, substance abuse and crime."

When a young person is properly diagnosed and seeks treatment, he or she is laying the foundation needed to deal with the disorder as an adult. And because most mental health issues don't disappear in adulthood, learning to cope is important. Read more at VailDaily.com.

Some of the best high school boarding schools are listed at TeenBoardingSchools.com. Private boarding schools, military boarding schools, and other residential schools are all listed at TeenBoardingSchools.com.

Labels: behavioral_issues, mental_health, treatment_programs

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Trichotillomania is the medical term for someone who suffers from compulsive urge to pull his or her hair out. The action is often accompanied by a feeling of relief or the release of tension. Though it was first mentioned in the media in 1989, it is believed that there are as many people who suffer with this condition alone as there are people seeking help.

"Dr. [Catherine] Madigan is quick to point out that it is unusual for Trich sufferers to be open about their disorder because of the obvious hair loss, and the stigma that is considered abnormal behavior not only by themselves but by society. She adds that Trichotillomania is very similar to other psychological problems with respect to the silence and social stigma."

Hair pulling is often associated with depression, and can lead to low self-esteem and social insecurities. Some have classified as an obsessive compulsive disorder, but it's more an issue of impulse control and may be precipitated by a stressful event such as a death or divorce in the family. Read more online.

Help for parents of troubled teens can be found at ByParents-ForParents.com. Parents of troubled teens can get help in the form of online resources, articles with tips for parents of teenagers, and a forum where parents can post and answer questions themselves.

Labels: depression, behavioral_issues, disorders

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The teenage years are a struggle for most people. Some teens, however, have serious behavioral and emotional issues that go beyond "typical teenager stuff". For these teens, living in a group home for a short time can help them get back on track. But many medical experts advise parents to choose a place that's close to home.

"Mecklenburg County [North Carolina] has more group home beds than any other N.C. county, making it a magnet for troubled kids. Sending them there also means they're often far from caseworkers and family support that experts say they need... More than a year ago, a coalition of judges, child advocates, mental health and school officials sent a letter across the state, warning counties to stop dumping their troubled youths in Charlotte. The letter said youths were 'being effectively abandoned.'"

Experts can point to many case studies which prove that keeping kids close to home, close to parents and support systems, increased their chances of success. Read more online.

Labels: emotional_issues, behavioral_issues, troubled_kids

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Teenagers may be more moody in the summer because the changing hours of daylight affect their minds, according to a new study from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

• Researchers asked 16 teenagers ages 13 and 14 years old to keep diaries of their sleep patterns.
• During the summer, they tended to spend more time outdoors in the evening , but yet they also woke up earlier because the sun came out earlier.
• This in turn shortened their sleep time.

"Extended exposure to sunlight adds to the difficulty teenagers have falling asleep at a reasonable hour," said lead author, Professor Mariana Figueiro. "In addition to the exposure to more evening light, teens also contend with not getting enough morning light to stimulate the body's biological system, also delaying bedtimes."

The study appeared in the journal Chronobiology.
 

Labels: behavioral_issues, sleep problems, mood_disorders

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