CHAPTER 13: PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENCE
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Transcript CHAPTER 13: PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENCE
Psychosocial Problems in
Adolescence
What can go wrong
Prevalence of Substance
Use and Abuse
A large proportion of adolescents have
experimented with alcohol, tobacco, and
marijuana but not with other drugs
out of high school seniors: 70% have tried alcohol; 46% have
smoked marijuana, and 40% have smoked cigarettes
only about 9% have used an illicit drug (other than marijuana) in
the last month
Earlier Age of Initiation
Experimentation with drugs is less common
among younger teens than in the past
The chances of becoming addicted to
alcohol or nicotine are increased when use
begins before age 15
drugs can affect normal maturation of the brain’s dopamine system
The effects of alcohol and nicotine on brain
functioning (especially memory and impulse
control) are worse in adolescence than in
adulthood
Ethnic Differences in
Substance Use
American Indian adolescents use the most
substances
followed by Hispanic and White; then Black and Asian youth
immigrant paradox
foreign-born and less Americanized
minority youth are less likely to use drugs,
alcohol, and tobacco than their Americanborn counterparts
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
Efforts to prevent abuse target:
the supply of drugs (most government attention and money
focused here)
the environment in which teens are exposed to drugs
characteristics of the potential drug user
Experts believe it is more realistic to focus
prevention efforts on adolescents’
motivation and environment
Prevention and Treatment of
Substance Use and Abuse
Most encouraging
programs combine some
sort of social
competence training
with a communitywide
intervention (aimed at
the adolescents, peers,
parents, and teachers)
Categories of Externalizing
Disorders
Conduct Disorder
Aggression
Juvenile Offending
Externalizing Problems:
Conduct Disorder
Conduct Disorder (CD)
clinical diagnosis
a pattern of persistent antisocial behavior that routinely
violates the rights of others and leads to problems in social
relationships, school, or work
related diagnosis is oppositional-defiant disorder (less
aggressive)
If CD persists beyond age 18, may be diagnosed
with antisocial personality disorder, characterized
by a lack of regard for moral standards
(psychopaths)
Externalizing Problems: Juvenile
Offending
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“Juvenile offending” is legal term
Violent (e.g., assault, rape, robbery, and murder)
and property crimes (e.g., burglary, theft arson)
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
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 girls and 10% of boys think about killing
themselves every year (suicidal ideation)
10% girls and 6% boys make attempts serious enough to
require treatment
Some adolescents commit acts of nonsuicidal
self-injury (NSSI)
such as deliberately burning or cutting oneself
~25% of adolescents have done this at least once
Risks for Suicide
Having a psychiatric problem
especially depression or substance abuse
Having a family history of suicide in
the family
Experiencing extreme family
conflict
parental rejection, family disruption
Being under intense stress
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-Stress
Model of Depression
The Diathesis
may be biological in origin (neuroendocrine or genetically
linked), or because of cognitive style
The Stress
primarily from having a high-conflict and low-cohesion
family, being unpopular, or reporting more chronic and
acute stressors
Stress and Coping
Stress responses vary, so some
adolescents experience:
Internalized disorders (anxiety,
depression, headaches, indigestion,
immune system problems)
Externalized disorders (behavior and
conduct problems)
Drug and alcohol abuse problems
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Stress does not always lead to negative
outcomes
Resilience in the face of adversity
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What Explains Stress Vulnerability?
Multiple stressors have a much greater impact
than single stressors (multiplicative)
Adolescents who have internal and external
resources are less likely to be affected by
stress than their peers
internal: high self-esteem, healthy identity
development, high intelligence
external: social support from others
Coping Strategies
Using more effective coping strategies also
buffers the effects of stress
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)