Chapter 13 - Problems Flashcards
13.1 Distinguish between internalizing and externalizing problems.
The two main classes of adolescent problems are externalizing problems (such as delinquency and risky driving) and internalizing problems (such as depression and eating disorders). Externalizing problems cause disruption in the surrounding world, and are usually associated with being undercontrolled. Internalizing problems are directed inward, and are associated with being overcontrolled. In general, externalizing problems are more common among males and internalizing problems are more common among females.
13.2 Summarize the overall pattern of crash risk in relation to age, and identify the factors that promote risky driving in adolescence and emerging adulthood.
Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among young people in their late teens and early 20s in developed countries, and young people at these ages have the highest rates of automobile accidents and fatalities of any age group. These high rates appear to be due to the risks they take while driving as well as inexperience. Rates of fatalities peak in the early 20s, mainly due to the prevalence of driving while intoxicated in this age group.
13.3 Describe the features of graduated driver licensing programs, and evaluate their effectiveness.
Graduated driver licensing is structured in three phases: learning license, in which novice drivers must be accompanied by a more experienced driver, usually a parent; restricted license, in which the young driver may drive unsupervised but with restrictions such as driving curfews and zero tolerance of alcohol use; and full license. Graduated driver licensing programs have been shown to be highly effective in reducing accidents and fatalities among young people, whereas driver education programs are usually ineffective.
13.4 Summarize the variations in adolescent substance use in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and explain the relation between substance use and unstructured socializing in emerging adulthood.
With regard to substance use, young people in the United States and Canada are more likely to use marijuana than young people in other Western countries, but young people in Europe use alcohol and cigarettes more than Americans and Canadians do. Across countries, emerging adults have higher rates of substance use than adolescents do, partly because they spend more time in unstructured socializing.
13.5 Identify the different types of substance use in adolescence and emerging adulthood and the outcomes of attempts to prevent substance use.
Patterns of substance use can be classified as experimental, social, medicinal, and addictive. Substance use prevention is often delivered through schools. Successful programs have taught strategies for turning down offers of substances from friends, or on family problems that may motivate substance use. The most effective programs begin in early adolescence and continue annually through high school.
13.6 Explain the reasons for the age–crime relationship.
Studies over the past 150 years have found consistently that crime rates peak in the late teens and that crimes are committed mainly by males. Crime is highest in adolescence and emerging adulthood because these periods combine independence from parents with a high amount of time spent with friends, and groups of friends sometimes seek out crime as a source of excitement.
13.7 Identify the two types of delinquency in Moffitt’s theory and their different origins.
Adolescence-limited delinquency occurs for a brief period of years during adolescence and is not preceded by other problems in childhood. In contrast, life-course-persistent delinquency, which begins early in life with a difficult temperament and cognitive deficits, continues long beyond adolescence.
13.8 Evaluate the success of programs to prevent delinquency, and explain why some have been more successful than others.
There are many types of programs to prevent delinquency, but they often fail because the adolescents resist participating and because they allow adolescents to connect with deviant peers. Successful programs usually take a multisystemic approach, involving family, school, and neighborhood groups.
13.9 Summarize the ways that sources of socialization and individual factors contribute to externalizing problems.
Socialization can contribute to externalizing problems through family disruption, family conflict, low parental monitoring, friends’ influence, poor schools, media content that rewards externalizing behavior, a punitive legal system, and cultural beliefs that favor individualism and self-expression. Individual factors that predict involvement in risk behavior include aggressiveness, high sensation seeking, cognitive deficits, low impulse control, and optimistic bias.
13.10 Identify the main types and causes of depression in adolescence.
Depressed mood is an enduring period of sadness. Major depression includes depressed mood and/or reduced interest or pleasure, along with at least four other symptoms such as insomnia and fatigue. Depressed mood is more common in adolescence than in adulthood, whereas rates of major depression are similar in adolescents and adults. Causes of depression in adolescence include conflict with family and friends, and disappointment or rejection in love. According to the diathesis-stress model, major depression occurs due to a biological vulnerability that is triggered by environmental conditions. Rates of depression in adolescence are considerably higher among girls than among boys. Explanations for this difference include gender differences in coping with problems, girls’ greater concern with body image, and an internalizing response to stress among girls.
13.11 Explain the benefits and risks of antidepressant medications, and evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy.
Placebo-design studies have shown that antidepressant medications are effective in treating depression, and cognitive behavior therapy has also been found to be effective. Most effective of all is a combination of cognitive-behavior therapy and antidepressant medications. Adolescents taking antidepressant medications should be monitored carefully, as some studies show that the risk of suicide rises when the medications begin to take effect.
13.12 Describe the most important risk factors for suicide in adolescence.
Family disruptions and substance abuse are among the strongest predictors of suicide among adolescents. Adolescents who have previously attempted suicide are at especially high risk for future attempts. Female adolescents attempt suicide four times as often as males, but males are about four times as likely to kill themselves.
13.13 Explain the causes of eating disorders and the differences between anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
Anorexia nervosa is intentional self-starvation, whereas bulimia entails cycles of bingeing and purging. Both eating disorders are most common among females in their teens and early 20s. Factors proposed to explain eating disorders include a tendency toward internalizing disorders and a cultural emphasis on slimness.
13.14 Evaluate the effectiveness of the main treatments for eating disorders.
Treatment for anorexia generally requires hospitalization, as other treatments are unlikely to be successful. Relapse rates are high for both anorexia and bulimia, and other problems often persist even if the eating disorder is overcome.
13.15 Identify the protective factors associated with resilience.
Many adolescents exhibit resilience despite growing up in high-risk conditions. Some of the key protective factors that promote resilience are high intelligence, one caring adult, a healthy school environment, and high religiosity.
