4 Troubled Teens Blog

Using reports from parents and teachers, a research team was able to predict which kindergartners would outgrow their mental problems and which were likely to develop severe mental problems by the end of elementary school.

"We did a phenomenal job of picking up those kids very early," said Dr. Marilyn Essex, lead author of the study. "Now those findings need to be replicated by others."

• Dr. Essex and her research team had mothers and teachers report mental symptoms of 328 children, starting in kindergarten through grade five.
• Some children acted out their symptoms through conduct problems, inattention, impulsivity, and aggression.
• Others internalized their symptom through depression and anxiety.
• The children who needed the most help by fifth grade were those who showed both internalizing and externalizing symptoms for at least two consecutive years.
• The children in the study are now 17 and 18 years old, and research is ongoing.

"We were able to tell in kindergarten and grade one which children were very likely to develop this pattern of mental health problems," Dr. Essex said. "We were able to predict quite well long-term patterns from early behavioral issues."

The study appeared in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Labels: mental_illness, teachers, parents

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The 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America has been released, and some of the findings are very encouraging. Among the highlights is a dramatic increase in the number of teens who say they have talked to their parents about drugs.

"The study revealed a major increase in the number of teens who reported 'learning a lot' about the risks of drugs from their parents: 37 percent reported this, a 16 percent increase from the previous year. This is the first major increase in this area since the study began 20 years ago."

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas said this information seems to indicate that parents and teens are finding some common language, and that the conversations are having a real impact. Source: NH Insider

Labels: drugs, risky_behaviors, parents

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Two years ago, Troy Crites lost his 18-year-old daughter to suicide. Today, he shares his story, and an important message, with other parents:

"[Mr. Crites] says he regrets letting his troubled daughter quit counseling. 'I'd rather have a damaged relationship than a dead daughter,' he said. 'I just - you have to try to make sure that they're safe.'"

Joan Goodman, an adolescent psychologist, encourages parents to get professional help for teenagers who struggle with self-mutilation, addiction, or other disorders. With therapy and medication, she says, many teens can recover. Source: WJLA-TV (VA)

Labels: suicide, awareness, parents

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A Harvard study has determined that adolescents whose parents smoke are more likely to begin smoking themselves. A team from the Harvard School of Public Health reached this conclusion after studying the habits of 559 boys and girls ages 12 to 17.

"The longer a parent smoked, the greater an adolescent's likelihood of starting smoking. Whether or not the parent was actually dependent on nicotine didn't affect the strength of the relationship."

Researchers also found that a father who smoked had a stronger effect on his son's risk that a mother's smoking had on her daughter. Source: ABS-CBN News5

Labels: parents, smokers, influences

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The state of Nebraska is changing its "safe haven" law to apply to infants only.

Nebraska was the last U.S. state to pass a law allowing parents or caretakers to abandon children to state custody by dropping them off at certain designated places. However, the Nebraska law refers to "child" instead of "newborn."

Consequently, some parents have dropped off teenagers, many of whom are violent or out of control. Some parents and caretakers have come to Nebraska from other states, including Iowa and Michigan, to turn over their children. One single parent abandoned nine children under age 18.

The Nebraska situation has prompted a debate about the adequacy of services that are available to stressed-out families and troubled teens.

Labels: safe_haven, parents, abandonment

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The Prince's Trust Charity in the United Kingdom has found that lack of an adult role model is one of the primary reasons teenagers join gangs.

"In a bleak report on youth culture, the charity founded in 1976 by the Prince of Wales said that more than a third of 16 to 25-year-olds say they do not have a parent they consider a role model, so turn to their peer group instead."

The report echoes warnings issued earlier by South Wales' Chief Constable Barbara Wilding, who said that tribal loyalty has replaced family ties for many young people. More than half of teens that dropped out of high school cited friends as their main role models and less than one-third said they would turn to a parent for help. Source: The Times (UK)

Labels: parents, gangs, role_models

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The Prince's Trust Charity has released a report which states that an increasing number of teens are joining gangs because they have no adult role model. The report found that more than a third of 16- to 25-year-olds don't have a parent they look up to.

"The findings of the report, The Culture of Youth Communities, echo a warning by Barbara Wilding, the Chief Constable of South Wales, made public last month, that tribal loyalty had replaced family ties for a generation of angry young people..."

Paul Brown, a Prince's Trust Charity director, said the report proves that young people need a sense of security and acceptance in their lives, and will look for it anywhere they think they can find it. Source: The Time (United Kingdom)

Labels: parents, gangs, role_models

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