Stephen Gavazzi, professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University, has co-authored a study that argues in favor of re-evaluating common wisdom about troubled teens. The study, which looked at how boys and girls handle their problems, tested the common belief that boys act out, while girls internalize.

"In his study, the results showed that Black girls and boys showed similar levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior, once family dysfunction was taken into account. In these families, boys and girls were more likely to show outward aggression if they lived in families with higher levels of dysfunction. Such a relationship was not found in white families."

Gavazzi says the findings shouldn't be surprising. People who study ethnicity and culture have long stated that the importance of family is different for African-American youths than it is for white youths. Gavazzi also believes his results are vital for organizations that help troubled teenagers, though he noted that more research needs to be done to determine how best to use the information. Source: MediLexicon.com

Labels: agression, emotional_issues, relationships

Gang activity in Limerick City, Ireland, isn't much different than it is in the United States. Police officials are seeing an increasing number of disconnected teens drawn into gangs, where they find the sense of belonging and purpose they don't get at home.

"[Chief Superintendent, Willie Keane] said that 'crime gangs are using young people' from dysfunctional families who do not have proper parenting at home, or where no role models exist in the family. He said that, as a result, no sense of responsibility was being instilled in these youths."

One of the greatest concerns is that gang members seem to be getting younger. People who are barely teenagers are being drawn to gangs and taught how to fight and even how to kill. Source: Limerick Post

Labels: family, gangs, relationships

More than one-third of children ages 10-18 in a new study report that they bully their friends "at moderate levels." However, over 40% told researchers from Queen's and York University they never bully anyone.

Researchers studying over 870 children found that bullying seems to drop off as children get into high school. Less than 10% admitted to "consistently high levels of bullying from elementary to the end of high school." The majority stopped when they entered high school.

Psychology professor Wendy Craig, lead author of the study, found that young bullies had conflicts with their parents and peers, and lacked a sense of right and wrong. They tended to pick friends who were bullies, too.

Dr. Craig and her colleagues are trying to design programs for this small, high-risk group, in order to prevent "a career path of bullying that leads to numerous criminal and relationship problems in adolescence and adulthood."

This study appears in the journal Child Development.

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Labels: bullying, criminals, relationships