This report constitutes one of the first activities of the Forum on Adolescence, a cross-cutting activity of the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies. Established under the auspices of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, the forum's overarching mission is to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate…

Kids who distrust adults are highly skilled at hiding their real nature and resisting change. Most adults shun such youths or get mired in conflict with them. Punitive get tough practices as well as traditional flaw-fixing treatment are reactive strategies that often drive these youths further from adult bonds and reinforce oppositional and…

Current educational and juvenile justice systems rely greatly on punishment and power over strategies-- especially when faced with youth whose severe behaviors escalate to violence. This book attempts to go beyond the typical problem-focused book, offering field-tested, concrete prevention and intervention strategies that can be used to help even…

The incidence of teenage depression has increased all over the world. In some populations it is has been accompanied by suicide, but suicide remains rare. Clinical depression, which entails many debilitating physical and psychological symptoms, is a serious disease that can do terrible and even permanent damage to a teenager's developmental…

Adolescent struggle is about the forces which shape the self and direct the search for identity. It examines the factors which incline young people toward self-centeredness, irrationality and faulty decision-making. Section 1 of the book deals with the adolescent self and two of the most important determinants of adolescent behavior: egocentrism…

This book traces the histories of two Chicano gangs in East Los Angeles since the early 1940s, when common gang stereotypes were created by the media and law enforcement agencies. In an unusual collaborative effort, researchers worked with former gang members to make contact with and interview members of various "cliques" (cohorts) of…

Each year in the United States, approximately one million adolescents become pregnant. This guide, the seventh in a series of resource guides for human service professionals, features a collection of articles that explores and explains the different facets of teenage pregnancy, while offering strategies for intervention. The volume begins with an…

This book examines how young people in Germany and the Netherlands grow into adults in their society and how they cope with the accompanying experiences and changes. The 14 chapters of the book are: (1) "The Modernization of the Youth Phase. Educational, Professional and Family Careers of Dutch Youth in the Nineties" (Els Peters); (2)…

Violence is one of the most complex and difficult student problems in public education. It interferes with students' academic performance, career options, and personal and social growth, and threatens the safety of students and faculty. Most professionals who work in schools are not trained to deal with violence. At the same time, incidents of…

This book compiles statements by young people (mostly from the United States) describing the primary issues they face as adolescents and how they cope with them, and incorporates a range of expert information to respond to these concerns. Chapters are: (1) "Body," covering topics of acne, body image, dieting and eating disorders, disabilities,…

This resource for life skills activities for adolescents with special needs covers aspects of interpersonal relationships, communication skills, academic and school skills, practical living skills, vocational skills, problem-solving skills, and lifestyle choices. Included are 190 illustrated activity sheets with related exercises, discussion…

Noting that, every day, adolescents make choices about the extent to which acts of violence will shape their lives, this book examines the following questions: (1) how did this emergence of violence happen; and (2) what can we do to shape safer lives for adolescents? The introduction discusses the characteristics and demographics of contemporary…

More American adolescent girls today are prey to depression, eating disorders, addictions, and suicide attempts than ever before. This book is an exploration of the underlying causes of this disturbing phenomena, structured around therapy case studies of various teenage girls. The position is taken that despite the women's movement, adolescent…

This collection of papers focuses on common influences that result in a number of interrelated risk behaviors, summarizing presentations and discussions from a recent conference at which a group of specialists from different health traditions synthesized current knowledge on the subject. There are 39 papers in four parts. Part 1, "Adolescents…

Claiming that politicians, private interests, and the media unfairly blame adolescents for America's social problems, this book explodes various myths about teen pregnancy, violence, and risk behaviors. The chapters are: (1) "Impounding the Future," examining trends in various social indicators such as rising rates of child poverty…