Transcript CHAPTER 13: PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENCE

Psychosocial Problems
in Adolescence
What can go wrong
Prevalence of
Substance Use and Abuse
 Most adolescents have experimented with alcohol,
tobacco, and marijuana but not with other drugs
 Only a very small number of adolescents use any
substance daily (one-sixth smoke cigarettes every
day)
Earlier Age of Initiation
 Adolescents are experimenting
with drugs at earlier ages than in
the past
 The chances of becoming
addicted to alcohol or nicotine
are increased when use begins
before age 14
 Drugs can affect dopamine production
in the brain, possibly altering it
permanently
 The effects of alcohol and nicotine
on brain functioning (especially
memory) are worse in
adolescence than in adulthood
Risk and Protective Factors For
Substance Abuse
 Adolescents who use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
frequently are usually exhibiting symptoms of prior
psychological disturbance
 More maladjusted as children and teenagers
 Major risk factors are:
 Personality – Anger, impulsivity, and inattentiveness
 Family – Distant, hostile, or conflicted relationships
 Socially – Friends who use and tolerate the use of drugs, living in a
context that makes drug use easy
 Major protective factors are:
 Positive mental health, high academic achievement, engagement
in school, close family relationships, and involvement in religious
activities
Prevention and Treatment of Substance
Use and Abuse
The most encouraging interventions are
programs that combine
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Social competence training for
adolescents
Community-wide interventions aimed at
adolescents, peers, parents, and
teachers
These kinds of programs have reduced
the use of alcohol, drugs, and
cigarettes especially if started in late
childhood and continue through high
school
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Externalizing Problems: Juvenile
Offending
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Violent crimes
 Increase in frequency between the preadolescent and
adolescent years
 Peak during high school then declines in young
adulthood (the age-crime curve)
Status offenses – behaviors that are not against
the law for adults (truancy, running away,
drinking)
Two Types of
Adolescent Offenders
 Life-course persistent offenders
 Demonstrate antisocial behavior before
adolescence
 Are involved in delinquency during
adolescence
 Are at great risk for continuing criminal
activity in adulthood
 Adolescent-limited offenders
 Engage in antisocial behavior only during
adolescence
 These two types have very different
causes and consequences
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Life-Course
Persistent Offenders
Usually are poor, male, perform poorly in school
From disorganized families with hostile or inept
parents
 Harsh parenting may affect brain chemistry (serotonin)
 Worse behavior elicits more bad parenting, leads to a
vicious cycle
 Have histories of aggression identifiable as early as age
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Have problems with self regulation
 More likely than peers to suffer from ADHD
Exhibit hostile attributional bias – interpret
ambiguous interactions with others as
deliberately hostile and retaliate
Adolescent-Limited Offending
Do not usually show signs of psychological
problems or family pathology
Still show more problems than teens who
are not at all delinquent
 More mental health, substance abuse, and
financial problems
Risk factors include:
 Poor parenting (especially poor monitoring)
 Affiliation with antisocial peers
Internalizing Problems and Depression
in Adolescence
 Depression is the most common
psychological disturbance
among adolescents
 Emotional symptoms – dejection,
decreased enjoyment of pleasurable
activities, low self-esteem
 Cognitive symptoms – pessimism and
hopelessness
 Motivational symptoms – apathy,
boredom
 Physical symptoms – loss of appetite,
difficulty sleeping, loss of energy
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=vUYPZOo
L3Es
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Sex Differences in Depression
Before adolescence, boys
are more likely to exhibit
depressive symptoms
After puberty, females are
more likely to be
depressed, possibly
because of:
 Gender roles – pressure to act
passive, dependant, and
fragile
 Greater levels of stress during
early adolescence
 Ruminating more – turning
feelings inward
 Greater sensitivity to others
(oxytocin)
Adolescent Suicide
 ~20% of high school students
think about killing
themselves every year
(suicidal ideation)
 Risk factors include:
 Having a psychiatric problem
 Having a family history of suicide
 Experiencing extreme family
conflict
 Being under intense stress
 Suicide rate is highest
among American Indian
and Alaska Native
adolescents
The Diathesis-Stress
Model of Depression
 Depression occurs when people with a predisposition (a
diathesis) toward internalizing problems are exposed to
chronic or acute stressors (a stress)
 Those without the diathesis are able to withstand a great
deal of stress without developing psychological problems
 The Diathesis
 May be biological in origin (neuroendocrine or
genetically linked), or because of cognitive style
 The Stress
 Primarily from having a high-conflict family, being
unpopular, or reporting more chronic and acute stressors
Treatment and Prevention
of Internalizing Problems
Treatment Approaches:
 Biological therapies – Antidepressant medications
(SSRIs) that address the neuroendocrine problems that
may exist
 Psychotherapies – Designed to help adolescents
understand the roots of their depression or change
their cognitions
 Family therapy – Changing patterns of family
relationships that contribute to symptoms
Prevention Approaches:
 Primary prevention – Teaching adolescents life skills to
help them cope with stress
 Secondary prevention – Aimed at adolescents who are
at risk for depression or are under stress
Stress and Coping
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Stress responses vary, so some
adolescents experience:
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Internalized disorders (anxiety,
depression, headaches, indigestion,
immune system problems)
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Externalized disorders (behavior and
conduct problems)
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Drug and alcohol abuse problems
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Stress does not always lead to negative
outcomes
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Resilience in the face of adversity
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What Explains
Stress Vulnerability?
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Multiple stressors have a much greater impact
than single stressors (multiplicative)
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Resources such as internal and external factors
buffer adolescents from effects of stress
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High self-esteem, healthy identity development,
high intelligence, or strong feelings of competence
Social support from others
Using more effective coping strategies also
buffers the effects of stress
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Primary control – taking steps to change the source
of stress (usually the best strategy)
Secondary control strategies – trying to adapt to the
problem (better when situation is uncontrollable)