Troubled Teens Iqaluit NU

MONDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) Substance abuse and delinquent behavior among teens was significantly reduced in communities that tried a university-designed prevention program, a new study found.

The Communities That Care prevention system, employed in a dozen small and mid-size towns in seven states, slashed alcohol use by eighth graders by nearly a quarter, binge drinking by 37 percent and smokeless tobacco use almost in half, according to the findings to be published Sept. 7 in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

"This study shows we can prevent adolescent risk behaviors community wide by using this system," lead author and co-developer of the program, J. David Hawkins, founding director of the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington in Seattle, said in a university news release.

Municipalities in the prevention program were instructed on risk factors that could lead to local substance abuse and behavioral problems among teens and then trained in how to run effective programs for managing these threats. Each community was paired with another of similar size and makeup that did not receive the training to compare success at handing the issues.

In tracking more than 4,400 teens, the ongoing five-year study found that use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, inhalants, marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs and other illicit drugs dropped over time. Most notably, binge drinking -- consumption of at least five alcoholic beverages in one sitting -- was lower among eighth graders in the communities using the program than those who did not adopt it.

"We know kids who drink that way are at risk for developing alcohol abuse and dependence later. This binge drinking is occurring when children are 13 and 14 years of age, so we are actually preventing the likelihood of later alcohol problems. This is very important from a public health standpoint," Hawkins said.

Teens in the communities' program also committed 31 percent fewer acts of delinquent behavior, such as stealing or vandalism, and were notably less likely to begin smoking, drinking or causing trouble in the community between the fifth and eighth grades.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more about the Communities That Care program.

Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Problem Child? Challenges And Opportunities

Very often a problem child or a troubled teen is going to present challenges as regards where he is going and who he is hanging out with. The question about whether we know exactly where our kids are and who they are with and even more important what they are doing is of crucial importance. There is a fine balance between trust and still keeping an eye. You would be surprised to know how many parents cannot answer the questions I have posed above. But your bottom line is that your kid is accountable for all his actions and that there will be consequences if they overstep the mark. This is one of the fundamental principles you can learn when you take a course or program on behaviour modification.

If you suspect or find out that the company your teen is keeping has delinquent tendencies, you can try imposing a curfew. The other kids will not want to hang out with somebody who has to be at home by a certain time and your kid will be dropped (thankfully, from your point of view).

Vorath and Bendtro published their program of Positive Peer Culture (PPC) in 2008 and the kids who have followed that program develop positive values of self confidence, self esteem and learning to care about others. There was a definite drop in delinquent attitudes and tendencies in those who had followed the course. Behaviour modification follows a similar path in teaching responsibility and self control. An opportunity not to be missed.

The next challenge parents face with a problem child or teen is how to monitor their computer time and what sites they are visiting. It is better to be upfront about the whole thing. This is a very similar to the problem posed at the beginning of this article and that is do we really know the kind of company our kids are keeping on the Internet ? This can extend to texting and 'sexting' on mobile phones as well.

Being upfront means that the computer is in a public area where the family frequently pass by so that you can always ask about a site they are visiting and express interest as you pass by. But there are easy ways you can adopt to make sure that you can monitor what sites , photos and other material are being downloaded. You can purchase software which will keep track of all this. You can learn to get know your browser's history. You can purchase blocking software as well so that you make sure that banned sites will not be able to be viewed. If the kids know that this is what you have in place, all the better because honesty and trust can be fostered which fits in with the PPC program mentioned above.

The problem child presents opportunities and challenges. The opportunities will enable you to keep in touch with your child and build a sense of responsibility and self control which will be rewarded. By following a behavior modification course , you will be presented with some stiff challenges like sticking to it but the opportunities and rewards are more than worth the effort. Learn how to keep in control in your family before the media and violence take over.

Want to know how I dealt with problem behavior. Discover behavior modification techniques that work. Robert Locke has written extensively on Children’s Health and Behavior Therapy.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/problem-child-challenges-and-opportunities-934458.html