History & Background Overview
Juvenile problem behaviors affect us all. Multitudes of parents are confronted by their child's stealing, early sexual behavior, serious substance use, or prolonged depressed moods. At home, parents may see endless harangues and quarrels in which children and their siblings may become participants as well as victims. Parents are often afraid that their child will not outgrow serious problem behavior and might become chronically delinquent, addicted to alcohol or drugs, or mentally unstable. Teachers find their main mandate in the classroom thwarted by students who disrupt academic courses, bully fellow students, bring weapons into the school, or simply become chronically truant.
Outside of the family and the school, the impact of juveniles' problem behavior on society is colossal. Huge numbers of delinquent youth are incarcerated in detention centers and large numbers of youth with substance use and mental health problems are brought to detoxification centers and assessed and treated by mental health professionals (American Psychological Association Commission on Violence. 1993). In addition, many youth damage their health by the consumption of harmful substances suffers from serious anxiety, depression, withdrawal, and commit suicide.
Another major area of concern is youths' emulation of adult behaviors, including drinking alcoholic beverages, driving cars, having sexual intercourse, or staying out late. Adolescents' increasing demands for independence in these areas may clash with the interests of and protection offered by parents. Often parents and their children disagree about the timing of children's independence from their parents; to some extent, conflict around this theme can be considered normal. However, a minority of youth presses to become more independent at what is generally considered to be a premature age.
Mental health statistics of juvenile delinquency
Epidemiological surveys have provided key information about the prevalence and degree of seriousness at different ages of a wide.........
