Troubled Teen
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Introduction
The teenage is a critical period because many things are going on in a person’s life like social and psychological issues. The term Troubled teen refers to an adolescent or youth who is having problems that cause adverse effects or behavior. Every person faces hard times or issues in life, but for a teenager, it can be quite a challenge when they are unable to cope with the problems that come with this age. Others may be facing issues beyond their capability, or the teenage issues are caused by various things like abusive relationships, peer pressure, broken families and poor parenting, and psychological issues. If a troubled teen does not get timely help, it can escalate to even significant problems like depression, identity issues, and low esteem. This essay will explore the things that cause troubled teens, their effects on the society, and the solutions
Causes of a troubled teen
Various things lead to a troubled teen. One of the things that can cause trouble in teens is a broken family (Doughty, 2014). The family set-up today has changed from the traditional set up of the family. For example, the number of single parenthood is rising daily due to ever-increasing divorces and separation (Lee & Bax, 2000). Still, due to women empowerment, some women opt not to get married some due to responsibilities that come with families and other personal choices. These categories instead choose to have children with people that agree to the terms, and they raise the children by themselves. When a family breaks through, for example, divorce, the children get traumatized any may not be able to cope with the break up (Behere et al. 2017). They lack the parental attention that comes with both parents, and the parents may end up in another relationship where they are not valued. Many things can happen when a teenager is faced with such a situation. According to Doughty (2014), a study found that children whose parents’ divorce are likely to perform poorly in school indulge in habits like alcoholism and drug abuse. The teens mainly will indulge in such behaviors to try to fight the stress that comes with the breakup. If not well managed, stress can lead to depression.
Another issue that is the cause of a troubled teen is peer pressure. Teenage is a period of identity for most people, and unless the teenagers have been well prepared to cope with this time from the families from an early age, they can have trouble with peer pressure. The children need the reassurance from the parents and the siblings often to build confidence and self-worth in them. A child that has poor parenting grows to become a teenager with the issues of low self-esteem and identity crisis (LaCroix, 2020). Some even hate themselves because they may feel unwanted. Such teens will seek affirmation and acceptance from their peers. Due to the peer pressure where the teen may want to identify with a specific group, they may end up being forced into some negative behavior to belong. For example, some teens may feel unattractive and, as a result, may develop bad eating habits like bulimia nervosa to keep fit according to the standard of beauty by their peers. Bulimia nervosa is where a person binge eats and force vomiting later to avoid weight gain. The teenagers do things they could not otherwise do to be accepted by the groups of peers. Especially in schools, teens can be lost in crowds; the peer pressure is too much. Most of the time, it is directed towards the kind of clothing, the kind music to listen to, and activities to engage in (LaCroix, 2020). Some teens may engage in harmful behaviors like bullying, drugs, and alcoholism through peer pressure. Peer pressure is dangerous because, in most instances, it causes teens to engage in destructive acts that lead to adverse effects. For example, drug addiction can have a negative health impact on the user like depression and violence behaviors (LaCroix, 2020). Peer pressure also can be caused by family members where the family puts specific rules that are unfavorable to the teens or hard to cope with. For instance, being too strict to the teens and denying them their space or choosing everything for them like the music to listen to, how to dress, and the friends to hang with can cause too much pressure on the teens. A person is likely to give in to peer pressure if they have low self-esteem, is from a troubled family, and someone who has a problem with fitting in (Beniwal, 2017).
A teen can also be troubled due to issues like identity issues. During the teenage, a person gains a glimpse of who they are and what they want to become in life. Some teens may be confused about the choices and thus can get troubled. It is during teenage that most people develop passions. If a teen is unable to identify something they can identify with, they may have a feeling of worthlessness and cause them trouble, especially where their peers are doing sports and other passions like art and dancing. Identity issues can also come up due to family issues like poor parenting or single parenthood (Behere, 2017). In today’s society, children are also raised by same-sex parents. Such teens may get troubled and have an identity crisis. Teens who experienced poor parenting, like abusive parents, may become resentful and fail to identify with them. Due to poor parenting, they lack role models and may grow up a confused lot, thus may not know what they are capable of and self-worth. Such people lack motivation in life due to a lack of someone to affirm them during the formative years. Likewise, children who grow up with single parents of same-sex parents may feel incomplete as they lack the love and care from a mother and father (Lee & Bax, 2000). There is the role that mothers play best in a child’s life, and the other a father plays better than the mother. For example, a mother gives emotional support better than a father, while a father is a disciplinarian. When a child lacks one aspect, they may become withdrawn and problem having a social life. The same case applies to children growing up with same-sex marriage people. They find the family set up incomplete and may have an identity crisis where they are unable to fit in the society. Such teens may feel incomplete.
Effects of troubled teen to the society
A troubled teen affect society in many ways. One, they may indulge in activities like drug abuse that affect them, but the impact is felt by society at large. For example, drug abuse can cause a tee to become violent and even engage in behavior like stealing (Reed, 2020). Some of the teens who abuse drugs may become bullies in schools affecting their peers negatively. The more the teens are troubled in a society, the more society becomes unstable. A troubled teen is a problem for the parents because most times, they become rebellious and may not be open with the parents concerning what is disturbing them. A troubled teen may cause frustration to the parent who seeks help from experts like counseling or even medical check. They end up becoming a whole society concern because they become not only become a concern in their families but also schools and their relationships with society. In school, a troubled teen will have poor concentration in the school work, and in most cases, they perform poorly. It affects the teachers who, because it is they may want to know why a student is performing poorly (Robinson & Segal, 2019). It also affects other students, especially the circle of friends, when one of them is stressed or withdrawn. Most troubled teens become withdrawn. Some may develop depression and other mental illnesses that require specialized care and medication (Reed, 2020). Their health becomes of concern to their doctors, and the parents incur a lot to cater for their health in terms of time and finances.
Solutions
Some of the things that may lead to a troubled teen are preventable. It is, therefore, advisable for the parents as the primary caregivers and custodians of the teens to be involved in their children’s lives, especially at teenage (Robinson & Segal, 2019). Some of the troubles of the teen are caused by issues of confidence and believing in self. It has been noted earlier that low self-esteem may trouble a teen, even causing them to bow to peer pressure and other activities to prove themselves. The parents should be involved in the life of the child by affirming them from childhood and rewarding achievement to instill confidence and self-worth.. It helps build confidence in the children; thus, they can handle teenage hood pretty well.
Another thing is that parents should understand teens and help them cope with the period, especially the transition. During puberty, many things are changing in teen life, and it may cause attitude, rebellious even to the parents, confusion, and anger (Shah, 2017). It is good to give them their space and show understanding and love. The parents and guardians should play the role of reassuring them and should not judge their actions or feelings.
Parents and families are a role model and first school where a child learns. Good parentage from childhood goes a long way in avoiding some of the teen troubles. For instance, both parents being involved in the life of a child. It gives the child a sense of belonging and self-confidence (Robinson & Segal, 2019). The parents should avoid behavior that may affect the children later in life, especially in teenagers. Such behavior includes being abusive, alcoholism, and drug abuse. In most instances, children tend to copy from the parents, and a teen with parents who abuse drugs is likely to be addicted.
It is also essential to seek professional help because some teen problems are linked to health issues. Most troubled teens suffer mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and stress (Shah, 2017). These kinds of disorders are dangerous if not managed because they can lead to suicidal thoughts. Therefore, it is crucial for the parents to seek professional help like medication, counseling sessions, and therapy, which has proved to be helpful in most cases.
References
Behere, A. P., Basnet, P., & Campbell, P. (2017). Effects of family structure on the mental health of children: a preliminary study. Indian journal of psychological medicine, 39(4), 457.
Beniwal, R. (2017). Dealing with Peer Pressure. Research Gate, 7. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332318821_Dealing_with_Peer_Pressure
Doughty, S. (2014). Broken homes make troubled teens – study. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/parenting/broken-homes-make-troubled-teens-study-1788766
LaCroix, D. (2020). Teens and Peer Pressure. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://teens.lovetoknow.com/Peer_Pressure
Lee, C. M., & Bax, K. A. (2000). Children’s reactions to parental separation and divorce. Paediatrics & child health, 5(4), 217-218.
Reed, C. (2020). Causes & Effects of Violence in Troubled Teens-C.A.R.E. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.restoretroubledteens.com/teen-violence.html
Robinson, L., & Segal, J. (2019). Help for Parents of Troubled Teens. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/helping-troubled-teens.htm
Shah, K. (2017). Common Teenage Problems and Their Solutions. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.jbcnschool.edu.in/blog/common-teenage-problems-solutions/