Adolescent Behavior

Adolescent Behavior: Readings and Interpretations comprises a varied, carefully chosen collection of writings by psychologists, historians, anthropologists, sociologists, psychoanalysts and adolescents themselves, to provide an in-depth understanding of the important developmental transition from childhood to adulthood. The readings range from theory to empirical research, from experimental to case studies, and from classic to contemporary writings. The background and interpretive essays by the editor aid the reader's understanding of adolescent behavior and the factors that shape it.Section One of the book explores adolescence in an historical and cross-cultural context. Sections Two through Six examine adolescent behavior as shaped by physiological maturation and cognitive growth, by the struggle for identity, and by the contexts provided by family, peers, school, and work. Section Seven examines three contemporary adolescent issues: gangs and violence, teenage pregnancy, and eating disorders. Section Eight explores the factors that mark the end of adolescence.These readings challenge widely held beliefs concerning adolescent behavior: Data and theories from the study of white middle class adolescents do not capture the scope of adolescent behavior in a socio-economically and racially diverse, multicultural society. Adolescent behavior takes different forms today, depending upon personal and demographic characteristics, and social-contextual factors.

Adolescence is a time when youth make decisions, both good and bad, that have consequences for the rest of their lives. Some of these decisions put them at risk of lifelong health problems, injury, or death. The Institute of Medicine held three public workshops between 2008 and 2009 to provide a venue for researchers, health care providers, and community leaders to discuss strategies to improve adolescent health.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

Adolescence is a developmental period of accelerating physical, psychological, social! cultural, and cognitive development, often characterized by confronting and surmounting a myriad of challenges and establishing a sense of self-identity and autonomy. It is also, unfortunately, a period fraught with many threats to the health and well-being of adoles cents and with substantial consequent impairment and disability. Many of the adverse health consequences experienced by adolescents are, to a large extent, the result of their risk behaviors. Many adolescents today, and perhaps an increasing number in the future, are at risk for death, disease, and other adverse health outcomes that are not primarily biomedical in origin. In general, there has been a marked change in the causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Previously, infectious diseases accounted for a dispro portionate share of adolescent morbidity and mortality. At present, however, the over whelming toll of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of lifestyle practices.

The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems clarifies the current state of treatment and prevention through comprehensive examinations of mental disorders and dysfunctional behaviors as well as the varied forces affecting their development. New or revised chapters offer a basic framework for approaching mental health concerns in youth and provide the latest information on how conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder, suicidality, and OCD) and behaviors (e.g., sex offenses, gang activities, dating violence, and self-harm) manifest in adolescents. Each chapter offers diagnostic guidance, up-to-date findings on prevalence, biological/genetic aspects, risk and resilience factors, and a practical review of prevention and treatment methods. Best-practice recommendations clearly differentiate among what works, what might work, what doesn't work, and what needs further research across modalities, including pharmacotherapy. Key topics addressed include: Families and adolescent development. Adolescent mental health and the DSM-5. Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Autism spectrum disorder. Media and technology addiction. School failure versus school success. Bullying and cyberbullying. The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavior Problems is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians, allied practitioners and professionals, and graduate students in school and clinical child psychology, education, pediatrics, psychiatry, social work, school counseling, and public health.

Adolescence is one of the most fascinating and complex transitions in the human life span. Its breathtaking pace of growth and change is second only to that of infancy. Over the last two decades, the research base in the field of adolescence has had its own growth spurt. New studies have provided fresh insights while theoretical assumptions have changed and matured. This summary of an important 1998 workshop reviews key findings and addresses the most pressing research challenges.

Handbook on Child and Adolescent Behavior and Health opens with a summary of the tools and diagnostic instruments commonly used in both clinical practice and scientific research for children with autism spectrum disorders.The concept of community integration, an important aspect of rehabilitation, is examined in the context of developmental delay disorders, with a reference to Indian context.The authors go on to examine the poverty-related attainment gap in Glasgow, which contains more than half of the 100 most deprived areas in Scotland.An approach to the study of childhood cancer focusing on the parents themselves is presented. Despite the previous work on this issue, there is great controversy regarding the conclusions drawn.Similarly, a study is presented which aims to describe mothers' experiences caring for children with chronic kidney disease in conservative kidney management.An attempt is made to understand the critical factors which play an important role in developing the skills and competencies in children pertaining to resilience, social and emotional domains.The authors describe research from around the world on cyberbullying to examine the nature, extent, causes, and consequences related to children and adolescents' involvement in these behaviors.The direct net effects of economic development, the level of globalization, internet use, and gender on adolescent fertility are assessed using the bio-ecological model.In addition, the social determinants of recent alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among African Americans aged 18 to 25 years are assessed.Subsequently, the current understanding of the etiology, clinical features, evaluation, and natural history of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is described.Lastly, the main pathogenic and clinical aspects of infective endocarditis in children are presented, as well as an insight into the available therapeutic options.

This hands-on guide is designed to help school practitioners conduct effective multidimensional assessments of a wide range of emotional and behavioral difficulties. Each chapter focuses on a particular method, describes its applications in the school setting, and offers clear guidelines for implementation, illustrated with realistic case examples. Approaches discussed include direct observation, analogue assessment, child self-reports, teacher and parent interviewing, informant reports, and self-monitoring procedures. Recommendations for working with culturally and linguistically diverse children and adolescents are also provided. The theoretical and empirical underpinnings of the assessment strategies demonstrated here are thoroughly reviewed in the companion volume, Behavioral Assessment in Schools, Second Edition: Theory, Research, and Clinical Foundations (see other side for more information).