Humans go through various stages to complete the journey of their life. One of the most complex stage is that of adolescence. This phase is described as the period between the ages of 13 and 19 years, which is considered to be the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood and plays an important role in the formation of a prosocial or an antisocial adult. Adolescents experience a lot of emotional highs and lows. They deal with hormonal changes, puberty, social and parental forces, work and school pressures, as well as unprecedented stresses concerning school, college, and career confusion. They may feel great at one point, but the next second, they feel depressed and gloomy. These kinds of extreme mood swings are frequent during adolescence.
Appallingly, all of these adolescent problems are multifarious and linked to one another. So, when they face issues related to self-esteem and body image, they may develop stress or eating disorders. They may also feel stressed when they experience peer pressure and competition at school, or when they’re misunderstood and punished at home. In response to this stress, many of them may indulge in smoking or drinking behaviours. Some may even find relief in locking themselves up in their rooms, playing video games or being on social media platforms for the entire day which can result in addiction. At such times, adolescents can quickly become targets of online predators and once, if poorly treated; they may also resort to more dangerous practices.
To deal with failure, or due to peer pressure and the pressure to be ‘cool’, teenagers may resort to substance abuse or get into perilous relationships resulting in unsafe/underage sexual practices, and possible teen pregnancies. Some may even end up engaging in criminal or delinquent activities. Then, it’s needless to say that due to the vulnerability of this stage, adolescents need immense emotional support at home and school to protect them from indulging in at-risk behaviours.
The question of whether your adolescent is likely to engage in problem behaviours resurrects the debate of nature versus the nurture. Herein, one aspect claims that genes and inherent traits are the most important in determining behaviour problems, while the other view emphasises the role of environmental factors, such as parenting style, peer relationships, poverty, and lack of education (Moffitt, 1993).
Some environmental or social conditions such as unstable home, disregard, or absence of parental supervision, sexual abuse or separation from peers can amplify behavioural problems. It is commonly believed that students with deviant behaviours will outgrow them as time passes and become well-adjusted individuals. However, Patterson, Cipaldi & Bank (1991); Trembley (2000); Wahler & Dumas (1986) suggest that this does not stand true for students showcasing a regular pattern of behaviour problems. According to Walker (2004), the most common behaviour pattern of students with emotional and behavioural problems are antisocial or externalising behaviours, characterised by moving out of place, shouting, talking without turn, troubling classmates, beating or quarrelling, ignoring the teacher or authority figures, being argumentative and dishonest, stealing, destructing property, not finishing homework, etc. Students with behavioural and emotional problems have too little social interface. They lack the social skills needed to make new acquaintances and frequently indulge in daydreaming and fantasising. Some are frightened without appropriate reasons, repeatedly whine of illness and injury, and set off into a depression (Boyle, 2002).
A pattern of childhood behavioural problems is the best interpreter of misbehaviour in adolescence. Students who step into adolescence with such a record have a higher probability of dropping out of school for arrests or substance abuse (Lipsey & Derzon, 1998; Walker et al., 1995).
To conclude, challenges faced by your adolescents are varied but interconnected in many cases. One problem leads to another and sometimes, it’s not easy to get through these problems alone. So, if your adolescent is causing trouble at school or home or if he/she remains anxious or gloomy for an extended period, it indicates the need for guidance and counselling. At such a juncture, the counsellor can help your child identify the problem and the possible solutions to them. This clears the emotional chaos which clouds your teen’s mind and aids them to work on their coping skills and enhance their communication skills. This boosts their self-esteem and promotes positive mental health.
Make sure to never trivialise your adolescent’s concerns or shy away from encouraging them to seek help.
Let’s allow them to recover!
References
Boyle, M. H. (2002). Homeownership and the emotional and behavioural problems of children and youth. Child Development, 73(3), 883-892.
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Gresham, F.M., Lane, K.L., Macmillan, D.L., & Bocian, K.M. (1999). Social and academic profiles of externalising and internalising groups: Risk factors for emotional and behavioural disorders. Behavioural Disorders, 24, 231-245
Lipsey, M. W., & Derzon, J. H. (1998). Predictors of violent or serious delinquency in adolescence and early adulthood: A synthesis of longitudinal research.
Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674-701.
Patterson, G. R., Capaldi, D., & Bank, L. (1991). An early starter model for predicting delinquency. In An earlier draft of this chapter was presented at the Earlscourt Conference on Childhood Aggression, Toronto, Canada, Jun 1988. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Ramsey, E., CALVIN, R., & Walker, H. M. (1995). Antisocial behaviour in school: Strategies and best practices. Boston: Brooks.
Tremblay, R. E. (2000). The development of aggressive behaviour during childhood: What have we learned in the past century?. International journal of behavioural development, 24(2), 129-141.
Wahler, R. G., & Dumas, J. E. (1986). Maintenance factors in coercive mother‐child interactions: The compliance and predictability hypotheses. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 19(1), 13-22.
Walker, Hill M., et. al. Antisocial Behavior in School, 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2004.
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