Today’s teenagers have been stereotyped as adventurous and harebrained individuals.  They are generally fond of experimenting with things until they get in touch with drugs, sex, guns, alcohol among others. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, 16,000 young adults die each year from unintentional injuries and accidents.  The most common justification for teenagers’ care-free attitude is that their brains just aren’t developed enough to know better. However, recent research shows that in some cases the fact is just the opposite, the brain matures not too slowly but perhaps, too quickly.

According to a psychiatrist, an adolescent who engages in more dangerous activities have white-matter pathways that seem to be more mature than those of risk-averse youths.  White-matter is the brain’s wiring, the neutral pathways that connect the various gray-matter regions of the cerebrum that are independent of one another.  Having a mature white-matter is necessary because it allows faster brain processing speed.  Nerve impulses also travel faster in mature white-matter. Experiments also reveal that the more mature the look of the brain, the more adventurous the teenager tended to be.
Another possible explanation is that some teenagers whose brains develop more rapidly than others become uncomfortable and a little confused owing to the gap between their biological capabilities and the social norms they must follow as kids. Precocious development of these neural tracts may make some adolescents more susceptible to engage in behaviors that society considers too adult in nature for their chronological age. It is also a common notion that teens make dumb decisions because their brains are immature. In other words, having a more mature brain may actually motivate some teens to try out new and potentially harmful experiences.
For now, these theories are mere speculation, and the researchers concede that the interaction of white and gray matter is so complex that hard conclusions remain elusive. The results of the study are relatively bare and by no means conclusive. The human brain is so intricate in nature, and one has to consider the fact that there are other factors that come into play such as the environment and certain genetic predispositions that are equally complex to study.

Just recently, CNN reported a heart-breaking news about a Berkeley teen who was convicted in the murder of his father. The victim was raising three kids on his own when one of them, for reasons unknown, murdered him with a gunshot to the head.  The judge handling the case found the 16-year-old teen guilty of first-degree murder with an enhancement for using a gun in the death of his 40-year-old father.

When the teen was sentenced, the judge could have him locked up in the California Division of Juvenile Justice until he reaches the age of 25. He could also face a variety of other sentences, including being placed on probation and sent home, being sent to a group home or placed in minimum security reform centers. Regardless of what happens, a life was lost and the life of the teenager and those of his siblings are put in jeopardy with the uneventful passing of their father who is supposed to guide them in today’s chaotic environment.

Teen violence is increasingly becoming one of the most serious problems of modern society. It is a curse not only for the victim but for his/her family and the entire society as well. It is also responsible for thousands of deaths every year around the world.  This kind of violence alienates the victim from his/her family, friends and loved ones. Teenagers who engage in violence, generally try to keep themselves away from everyone. Psychologists explain that they do so for the sake of getting away from social embarrassment. Teen abuse lawyers advocate that the victim must get proper legal support at such delicate phase of her/his life.

Young adults are complicated, inquisitive, and filled with potential. Once left unchecked, they can blow up in a million pieces, causing problems resulting to irreparable damage or even death. This is precisely the reason why parents are endowed with the moral obligation to guide their teens during this crucial stage in their lives.

Oftentimes teenagers find their peer groups to be more significant to them than their parents. This being the case, it is as if parents are handling over the life of their teen to the type of group he/she may belong to. With this change come different expectations. This is why friends are such a key developmental and influential factor in the teenage years. Many teens who get involved in gangs are simply trying to live out their new group’s expectations rather than their parents’. Adolescents are all on an equal plane when it comes to violent behavior. Regardless of background, almost all adolescents become significantly more violent after puberty and it drops off again somewhere in their mid-20s.

If we can only get rid of memories of traumatic events maybe it can diminish distress especially among our children and young adults. Such is not the case because we are not programmed to do so. Remembering what transpired on 9/11 can be a lot more difficult and painful especially among those who lost a loved one or for those who were directly impacted by that tragic day when terrorists struck fear and anxiety into the hearts of people from all corners of the globe. Moreover, media coverage commemorating the events in a detailed manner may heighten distress or indifference among our children.
So the question is, how can parents explain something so gruesome and traumatic to their children?  Parents can’t shield their children from acquiring information about what is so significant about 9/11. It is a thing of the past but it definitely left an indelible mark in history and on the eight anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, as publication of news and photos of that tragic day find their way to our newspapers, television screens and the Internet, parents are dumbfounded about the manner on how they can explain to their children this hard and complex subject.
There are certain tips which may help all concerned parents on this particular issue. The first thing to do is to try to relax while discussing the topic. You have to consider the fact that talking about violent acts won’t increase your children’s fear any more than harbor anxiety about the unknown. Try to determine and feel what your child already knows about the event so you can somehow gauge the impact of the information you want to discuss thereby establishing the parameters of the subsequent conversation.
Try to be as transparent and honest as possible although you can opt to refrain from providing detailed information.  Children are generally smart, they can sense when they are being lied to or when you’re withdrawing something from them. It’s not appropriate to eliminate your children’s fear but a thorough explanation should be given to assure them somehow that there is nothing to be afraid of as government authorities are trying to find ways to protect the nation’s citizenry against another horrible event. Just make sure that your children are interested about the flow of the conversation, otherwise it’s better to drop the topic. Your children may not yet want or need to discuss the event at this particular period but they will certainly bring it out sooner or later.
Parents ought to be very careful when discussing traumatic events to their children and young adults especially those with acts of terrorism such as 9/11 because you are not certain how they will interpret and react on such sensitive subject matters.

Continual aggressive behavior from childhood through late adolescence is a significant predictor of adult alcohol use and abuse, a new University of Michigan study indicates.

In comparison to childhood and adolescent aggression, some variables often thought of as risk factors, such as problems in the family and parents’ poor educational background, are weak predictors of children drinking alcohol later in life as adults, said the study’s lead author Eric Dubow, an adjunct research scientist at U-M’s Institute for Social Research.

U-M researchers used data from the Columbia County Longitudinal Study, a 40-year project of the development of aggression and competence across generations. The study sampled third graders in Columbia County, NY in 1960, then age 8, until 2000 when they were age 48.

Data collected on the study’s participants included measures of aggression, popularity, and IQ tests at age 8; assessment of aggression, popularity, depression and educational attainment at age 19; and reports of alcohol use and problem drinking at ages 30 and 48.

By age 30, men reported a higher frequency and quantity of alcohol use—on average approximately 2 to 4 times a week, 3 to 4 drinks per sitting—compared with females, who consumed alcohol on average once per week, 3 drinks per sitting.

However, at ages 30 and 48, both males and females who had been high on aggression earlier in life reported significantly more alcohol use and problems with alcohol. Participants were not asked to specify if the beverage was liquor, beer, or wine.

The study also found that two sets of variables traditionally viewed as protective factors in the development of problem behavior actually increased the likelihood of alcohol use or alcohol problems.

Source article: www.emaxhealth.com

A normal socially healthy life for a teenager involves going out with friends and going out on dates with the opposite sex, mostly for innocent and honest fun. Movies, the bowling alley and the mall are the usual places where teens go for dates. But sometimes, going out on a date, even with someone they know relatively well, can turn into a nightmarish experience for the trusting and naive teen.

Friends, friends of friends and casual acquaintances are the most probable people that would ask a teen to go out on a date with them, but this does not mean that they are safe. In fact, about half of all people who are raped know the person who attacked them. Which would probably make us ask the question, Can a teen really go out on a “safe” date?

The answer is yes they can, as long as they and their parents take the necessary precautions. Here are a few tips that can help teens avoid being in that situation:

Go out with a group of friends and watch out for each other.

Don’t spend time alone with someone who makes you feel uneasy or uncomfortable. This means following your instincts and removing yourself from situations that you don’t feel good about.

Know what you want. Be clear about what kind of relationship you want with another person. If you are not sure, then ask the other person to respect your feelings and to give you time. Don’t allow yourself to be subject to peer pressure or encouraged to do something that you don’t want to do.

Also, date rapes are most commonly perpetrated using drugs, the most popular of which is alcohol. Staying sober and aware of whats going on is the best way to avoid being drugged. If the teens are going to drink anything, even non-alcoholic beverages, they should always make sure that no one slipped anything in it. Roofies and other date rape drugs can be easily dropped into drinks and wouldn’t affect its taste, furthermore, their affects can render the victims unconscious and it could cause amnesia.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that dating can wait until teens are a little older and wiser and are more mature and that, good decision making skills, high self-esteem and confidence are very important characteristics that most younger teens have not yet developed are the most effective weapons against rapists.

We are all privy to the fact that teen violence is a very big social problem, not just in the U.S but in every part of the globe. For example in the U.K, happy slapping is a very popular “game” that teens play. It involves slapping people, usually unsuspecting victims that are just minding their own business, and recording the whole incident with a mobile phone camera to be uploaded to video hosting websites such as youtube. In Asia, Africa and the Middle East children are being trained and turned into soldiers, sometimes they even carry out suicide bombing missions.

The situations between kids from first world countries like the U.S and the U.K and war torn third world nations are very different but there is one central theme that pervades the thought and that is kids are being exposed to violence whether they choose to or not. Some kids choose to be violent even if they don’t have to some are just thrown into the firing lines even before they realize why. The question is why? Why do they need to participate? Why would they want to participate?

There are so many questions that can be raised with regards to why these things happen, but the most important question to ask now is what are we going to do to stop this cycle of violence before it turns the next generation into cold blooded, remorseless villains who do not value life. It’s time to solve the problems, I mean we already know the solutions it’s just a matter of enforcing them.

Science and technology would and should play a big part in this solution and everyone who has access to it should at least try and help. Helping is as easy as spreading the right information and sharing knowledge and resources. A good place to start is inside you’re own home, tell you’re kids about the ill effects of violence and let them know that there are better alternatives. Another way to help stop violence from spreading is to develop self control, people can even get professional help if it is available.

Why are American teenagers three times more violent than Canadian teens?

Contrary to conventional wisdom, it’s not necessarily because there are more crime-ridden big cities in the U.S. Instead, the answer has more to do with the fact there are far more children born to teenage mothers in the U.S. than in Canada — and that many more U.S. teenagers are addicted to TV.

Those are some of the findings that Dalhousie University economics specialist Lihui Zhang will outline when she makes a presentation Saturday at the giant Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of British Columbia.

Zhang, a 29-year-old PhD candidate who emigrated from China in 2002, set out to explain why 21 per cent of American teenagers told researchers “they had physically fought with someone in the last 12 months,” compared to just seven per cent of Canadian teenagers.

Comparing data on more than 8,000 U.S. and Canadian teenagers, Zhang concluded that one key factor explaining U.S. violence rates was the much higher rate of teenage mothers in the U.S.

Children born to teenage mothers are more likely to be violent — and three per cent of U.S. youngsters had teenage mothers, compared to 0.04 per cent of young people in Canada.

Zhang said teenagers who watch more than five hours a day of television tend to be more physically violent. Twenty-six per cent of American teenagers watch more than five hours a day of television, compared with 13 per cent of Canadian teens.

Zhang emphasized that she is just at the beginning of her research.

Resource article.

Explosive temper tantrums, physical aggression, fighting, threats or attempts to hurt others (including homicidal thoughts), use of weapons, cruelty toward animals, fire setting, intentional destruction of property and vandalism are just some of the violent, dangerous and destructive behaviors that some children and adolescents show from time to time.

This is a very puzzling and confusing time both for the children and their parents. But there is still hope. Scientists, doctors, psychiatrists, and other professionals have pointed out factors that affect these behaviors. The factors are:

* Previous aggressive or violent behavior

* Being the victim of physical abuse and/or sexual abuse

* Exposure to violence in the home and/or community

* Genetic (family heredity) factors

* Exposure to violence in media (TV, movies, etc.)

* Use of drugs and/or alcohol

* Presence of firearms in home

* Combination of stressful family socioeconomic factors (poverty, severe deprivation, marital breakup, single parenting, unemployment, loss of support from extended family)

* Brain damage from head injury

They have also pointed out some warning signs that parents should notice if their children have a high risk of violent behavior. Such factors signs include:

* Intense anger

* Frequent loss of temper or blow-ups

* Extreme irritability

* Extreme impulsiveness

* Becoming easily frustrated

Early treatment by a professional have been proven to be the most effective way to deal with these kinds of situations and conditions. Research studies have shown that violent behavior can be decreased or even prevented if the risk factors are significantly reduced or eliminated.

The goals of treatments and interventions typically focus on the following:

learn how to control his/her anger;

express anger and frustrations in appropriate ways be responsible for his/her actions

accept consequences

Family conflicts, school problems, and community issues are also addressed.

Children and adolescents are probably the most emotional, dramatic and vocal creatures on earth. They often over react and express their emotions verbally by making threats, cursing and sometimes they even resort to violent behavior, either hurting themselves or others. But how can parents know when their children’s threats mean something else, something serious that demands attention?

It is important to know why teens make threats in the first place in order to determine if they are just being overly dramatic or if they are on the verge of exploding. Here is a list of potentially dangerous threats that should at least be taken seriously.

* threats or warnings about hurting or killing someone

* threats or warnings about hurting or killing oneself

* threats to run away from home

* threats to damage or destroy property

It is very difficult to predict teen behavior based on what they say alone, thats why it is important to review and reflect on their past behaviors. There are a few predictors that parents should look for. Past and current behaviors and other factors that can increase the risk of violent and dangerous behavior include:

* past violent or aggressive behavior (including uncontrollable angry outbursts)

* access to guns or other weapons

* bringing a weapon to school

* past suicide attempts or threats

* family history of violent behavior or suicide attempts

* blaming others and/or unwilling to accept responsibility for one’s own actions

* recent experience of humiliation, shame, loss, or rejection

* bullying or intimidating peers or younger children

* a pattern of threats

* being a victim of abuse or neglect (physical, sexual, or emotional)

* witnessing abuse or violence in the home

* themes of death or depression repeatedly evident in conversation, written expressions, reading selections, or artwork

* preoccupation with themes and acts of violence in TV shows, movies, music, magazines, comics, books, video games, and Internet sites

* mental illness, such as depression, mania, psychosis, or bipolar disorder

* use of alcohol or illicit drugs

* disciplinary problems at school or in the community (delinquent behavior)

* past destruction of property or vandalism

* cruelty to animals

* fire setting behavior

* poor peer relationships and/or social isolation

* involvement with cults or gangs

* little or no supervision or support from parents or other caring adult

The best course of action to take when a teen threatens to do something violent or dangerous either to himself or others is to not dismiss or ignore it. They have something to say and it maybe caused by their reaction to something that is worth checking into like bullying or abuse. Most of the teens who make threats need the attention and love and if that doesn’t work, there are interventions and programs that can help them.