Adolescence embodies a period of developmental imbalance where most young people make wrong choices. During puberty, the prefrontal cortex which is the front part of the brain responsible for decision making experiences rapid change. Equally, the subcortical part of the brain that is highly sensitive to reward plays a significant role in augmenting an adolescent`s risk taking tendencies. It is at the highest activity of development during the adolescence stage. The adolescent may end up trying things for the sheer reward expected. For example, trying out drugs, driving fast, or standing the edge of cliffs. Besides, the prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped, leading them to make uninformed decisions. Drugs extremely rewarding since they offer pleasure to the double meninges circuit of the brain responsible for recompense leading adolescents to overindulge. Adolescents are, therefore, incapable of evaluating the consequences associated with substance abuse. The lack of intellectual maturity in adolescents leads them to engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse.
Substance abuse among adolescents often ranges from smoking, use of drugs, to alcohol abuse. Most young people engage in substances as a way of experimenting, however, the behavior later results in addiction. The adolescents mostly abuse the drugs in a bid to regulate their stress levels. During adolescence, when stress is added to the developmental disproportionality being experienced, it elevates the drug abuse problem. Adolescents report higher incidences of drug abuse compared to individuals in other age groups (Steinberg, 2007). The behavior has been linked to indecisiveness where most of them are unable to reckon the negative impact that the substances are likely to cause. It is also apparent that the degree to which a person`s peers abuse drugs determines their likelihood of involvement in the same habit.
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Peer pressure is one of the most influential factors likely to encourage drug use. Equally, substance abuse among adolescents is often linked to their developmental need to accommodate thrills and risks. It is, nevertheless, apparent that risk taking decreases as individuals transition into adulthood (Temple University, 2014). One of the reasons provided for this is the alteration in the dopaminergic system which lessens reward seeking. Another reason involves the acquisition of self-regulatory capacities through structural maturation of an individual`s cognitive system (Temple University, 2014). The person, consequently, becomes self-aware of their actions and seeks to refrain from engaging in any risky undertaking.
In order to promote positive behavior among adolescents, one of the effective forms of involvement involves intervening with parents who are capable of maltreating their children ( Romer, 2010 ). Some adolescents engage in substance abuse as a way of escaping the stress encountered owing to the harsh treatment experienced from their parents. Some epidemiological studies have proven that there is a link between child and substance abuse. Children whose parents abuse various substances often experience neglect. As a result, they become distressed and turn to abuse of drugs. Equally, children who are treated with cruelty are also likely to perpetrate the same violence on their own children in future. In the event that cases of maltreatment are noted, they should be reported to the relevant authorities in order to secure the victims` future.
The nurse visitation program has also proven to be a success in encouraging positive behavior. The program occurs where the expectant mother is visited before giving birth and trained on the most effective ways of coping with stress that may contribute to optimal natal experience for their newborn ( Temple University, 2014 ). When a parent experiences stress owing to their maternal status, they end up passing the same sensation to their children owing to the minimal care they are likely to offer them. Desertion is capable of translating to non-optimal brain development which may affect their development in school and also during their adolescence ( Romer, 2010 ). The intervention has proven to be successful for adolescents, leading them to lower incidences of risky behavior and incarceration.
Impulsive control strategies can also be adopted to promote good behavior in adolescents. A study undertaken by Romer (2010 ) on children in elementary school revealed that the action resulted in enhanced executive function and minimal impulsivity. One way that the strategy can be administered is by offering incentives for a student`s good behavior. It is evident that offering rewards to students on a frequent basis minimizes the occurrence of disruptive behavior. However, in cases involving children suffering from ADHD, medication has proved to be resourceful in regulating their impulsivity. Besides, rewards ensure that the young people focus more on their school work and shun harmful abuse of substances.
According to the institute of medicine (IOM), positive behavior can be enhanced through three major ways: universal, selective, and indicated ( Greene et al., 2018 ). Universal interventions are associated with the minimization of certain health risks in a population. For instance, setting a specific legal age for drinking and regulation of the availability of certain substances in the community which are likely to be abused by adolescents. Alternatively, selective interventions are focused on specific populations. They are, therefore, mostly focused on offering assistance to high risk groups ( Greene et al., 2018 ). Conversely, indicated interventions focus on people that are already involved in a risky behavior such as substance abuse. The programs could be expensive, however, they are deemed to be resourceful.
The current approaches to creating programs have not entirely been unsuccessful because they have not been grounded in the current understanding of the science of adolescent development. Instead, one of the reasons behind such failure is the current low political will to offer priority to the provision of resources meant to eradicate substance use among adolescents ( Greene et al., 2018 ). Unpredictable government turnover has contributed to the alteration in resource allocation. In light of this fact, support services meant to cater for substance use among adolescents have become minimal. The existence of competing priorities has also emerged as one of the significant challenges. Clients of specific substance use reduction programs have reported not getting the services that they requested for ( Greene et al., 2018 ). The reason given for this is the existence of specific substance misuse treatment such as medication-assisted treatment. Also with the great stigma associated with substance abuse, very few people are willing to participate in treatment interventions or programs seeking to eradicate the vice. Conversely, however, some programs in use are still focused on the traditional treatment interventions previously offered to the victims of substance abuse. Besides, very few programs focus on adolescents alone. Dr. Laurence Steinberg is one of the few developmental psychologists whose intervention on substance abuse focuses specifically on adolescents.
To sum it up, it is evident as illustrated above that inadequate intellectual maturity in adolescents is responsible for risky behaviors such as substance abuse. Majority of substance abuse cases occur among adolescents. Some of the reasons why they engage in such abuse may be due to stress or peer pressure. Besides, the tendency for adolescents to participate in risky behaviors is higher compared to other age groups since the subcortical part of the brain responsible for reward is at the highest activity of development during the adolescence stage. Some of the ways that positive behavior can be instilled in adolescents involve: intervening with parents who are capable of maltreating their children, the nurse visitation program, Impulsive control strategies, universal intervention, selective intervention, and indicated intervention. It also important to note that the current approaches to creation of programs has not entirely been unsuccessful because they have not been grounded in the current understanding of the science of adolescent development. Instead, factors such as low political will and competing priorities have reduced involvement in treatment of substance abuse among adolescents. Finally, it is essential for the government and other regulatory authorities to focus more on eradicating the problem of substance abuse among adolescents.
References
Greene, M. C., Kane, J. C., Khoshnood, K., Ventevogel, P., & Tol, W. A. (2018). Challenges and opportunities for implementation of substance misuse interventions in conflict-affected populations. Harm reduction journal , 15 (1), 1-10.
Romer, D. (2010). Adolescent risk taking, impulsivity, and brain development: Implications for prevention. Developmental Psychobiology: The Journal of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology , 52 (3), 263-276.
Steinberg, L. (2007). Risk taking in adolescence: New perspectives from brain and behavioral science. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 55C59.
Temple University. (2014, July 9). Researching Risk: Understanding the Adolescent Brain. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9MWpLIT3Mo
