Abstract
This is the introductory portion of a research paper based on the hypothesis: "Poor family communication leads to or maintains adolescent depression." Literature is cited that corresponds to issues relating to adolescent depression and how familial issues, particularly maternal, have a strong influence on the depressive episodes, behavioral and developmental issues of adolescents.

From the Paper
"Symptoms of depression strike upwards of 30% of all high school students (Ehrenberg, Cox & Koopman, 1990, Olsson & von Knorring, 1997a as cited by Olsson, Nordstrom, von Knorring & von Knorring, 1999). Roberts, Andrews, Lewinsohn & Hops (1990 as cited by Sheeber, Hops & Davis, 2001) tell us that the statistics on adolescent depression are underestimated as many teens demonstrate symptoms which are classified as below diagnostic thresholds. While depression is a problem relating to genetics, heredity, environment and the individual, in adolescence the problem is particularly painful for the victim/patient. Donnelly (1999) tells us that depression and associated symptoms of depression increase during the adolescent years. Olson et al. (1999) states that parents are not always aware of that the symptoms they are witnessing in their adolescent children are signs of depression."

Tags:adolescent, depression, communication

Abstract
This paper researches the finding that adolescent males are increasingly at-risk and that the consequences of leaving these boys without treatment range from academic problems all the way to suicide and mass-murder. Furthermore, much of these problems appear to be linked to the absence of father figures and other male role models in the lives of these boys. Therefore, this paper investigates whether using males as the interveners in at-risk intervention strategies is more beneficial than using females. The paper looks at gender differences in therapy, from the standpoint of the patient and the provider. The paper also investigates the differences between treating adults and treating children, and how a therapist can best approach an adolescent patient. In addition, the paper looks at existing intervention strategies, to determine whether gender has an impact on the success of those strategies. After reviewing the literature, the author suggests that a two-tiered, gender-based intervention strategy offers the best plan for success in at-risk interventions.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Background of Study
Problem Statement
Purpose Statement
Significance of Review
Research Design, Strategy, and Procedure
Literature Review
Findings and Discussion
Results
Analysis
Interpretation
Clinical Implications and Recommendations for Future Research

From the Paper
"Initially, the author believed that the literature would be sufficient to provide a quantitative analysis of success rates, based on the gender of the therapist. However, the problem with defining therapeutic success has already been explained. In addition, there is another issue that prevents such a quantitative analysis; there is such a wide-variety of interventions, that it is almost impossible to quantitatively compare them. Furthermore, some of the available literature looks at different intervention methods, and fails to address the gender of the service providers involved. Therefore, this study takes a qualitative approach to gender differences and intervention success. The study looks at what works, when it works, who it works with, why it works, and how it could work better.
"In order to understand the relationship between gender and therapeutic success, this study looks at several related issues. First, the study investigates males and their role as clients in therapy. The role of the client in therapy is largely ignored in a research context, but may be the single most important variable when attempting to predict the success or failure of a therapeutic intervention. Therefore, this study looks at the male client and his approach to therapy."

Tags:adolescent, consequences, treatment, strategy, approaches, gender

Abstract
This paper addresses adolescent substance abuse from a scientific standpoint, delving into different theories of addiction, as well as some sociology of adolescence, in order to present the two different factors present in the formation of substance abuse habits in adolescence. These factors are embodied by the disease theory and the psychosocial theory of addiction, which are both explained in the essay.

Tags:PSYCHOLOGY / ALCOHOL, DRUGS, adolescent substance abuse

Abstract
This paper looks at various developmental theories that have been put forward in the field of psychological research. It explains the different stages of early development as explained by Piaget and Erikson and goes onto examine Kohlberg's moral development theory. It also looks at the similarities between some of the theories and the influences they have on society. Finally the paper concludes that developmental theories will always be evolving as researchers strive for more explanations of human behavior.

Outline:
Abstract
Developmental Theories
Piaget's Cognitive Development
Erikson's Psychosocial Development
Kohlberg's Moral Development
Similarities in Theories
Societal Influences
Completing Childhood Stages
Infancy to Adulthood
Difference in Theories
Culture
Individualism
Gender Bias
Overall Child Development
Adolescent & Potential
Culture and Ethnicity
Critical Periods

From the Paper
"Swiss biologist and philosopher, Jean Piaget's research, focused on the cognitive perspective which concentrates on thought processes, behaviors reflecting the thought process and includes both orgasmic and mechanically influenced theories. Piaget described children's development as occurring in four (4) quantitative stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational to formal operational stage. Success of the final process of development depended on successful or healthy completion of the preceding stage.
"From birth to two (2) years, infants learn to organize activities in relation to their environment through sensory and motor activity. As children go through this stage, they become accustomed to and accepting of their environment around them and learn more complex abilities (schemes) in order to successfully transition to the preoperational stage. In the preoperational stage which ranges from two (2) years to seven (7) years, thinking is still not logical at this stage. Children become less attached to their caregiver and more adept at language and play skills (adapting and assimilating) and retain memories of people, places and things located in their environment. With the advent of the concrete operational stage, which ranges from seven (7) to eleven (11) years of age, logic enters the scenario. Children shift from adaptation and assimilation of new knowledge to the concrete operational stage (equilibration). Now they can solve problems logically, but, still have not mastered abstract thought. After going through the concrete operational stage, children enter the final stage which is the formal operational and a continuation of the equilibration stage which ranges from age eleven (11) to adulthood. In this stage, the individual becomes more mature and is able to reason, formulate and make decisions."

Tags:developmental, behaviors, adolescent

Abstract
This paper focuses on an article dealing with adolescent mothers and contraceptive services in South Africa. The paper discusses the young women's knowledge of contraception devices, and why they fail to utilize them.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this paper is to answer several questions concerning the following article "Adolescent Mothers' Utilization of Contraceptive Services in South Africa" V. J. Ehlers, International Council of Nurses, International Nursing Review. This study investigates South African adolescent mothers' knowledge of contraception relating the information gained to why young women fail to utilize contraception and contraception services and so end up pregnant. Nurses are of course involved in every area of reproductive health. Therefore, the study is of great importance to nurses however this..."

Tags:South Africa, adolescent, mothers, contraceptive

Abstract
This literature review researches communication about sexual topics by adolescents and how it affects their inclination towards more dangerous sexual practices. The author compares the similarities and differences between adolescent communication with adult figures and adolescent communication with peers to deduce what forms of communication are more beneficial in fostering safer sexual behavior, and concludes that there is no great difference between discussion with parents or peers as an indicator or predictor of other sexual behaviors.

Outline:
Introduction
Sexual Discussion with Parent and Authority Figures
Peer-to-Peer Sexual Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Unfortunately, a predominance of research deals with adolescent communication with parents or other adult figures as a dichotomy; either an individual has or has not had sex, and either that individual does or does not communicate about sex. This has led to variance in the research, and "the connection between sexual communication and sexual behavior is unclear" (Ward & Wyatt, 1994, 184). As noted, in Ward and Wyatt's (1994) early work, it is less about the topic of sexual communication, and more about how the information is communicated, with an emphasis on the positive or negative nature of both verbal and non-verbal messages (p. 185). More recent research has tried to stray from this black and white perception of the subject, attempting to understand the situation from a more critical perspective.
"Studies viewing sexual communication in a strictly causal relationship with sexual activity have generally attributed increased parent-adolescent sexual communication with effecting positive sexual habits. Pick and Palos (1995), in one of the more influential and referenced articles of the concerned literature, present and analyze the results of three different studies on the topic matter, examining the contraceptive practice of girls between the ages of 12 and 19, distinctions between young men who get their partners pregnant and young men who do not, and the ways parents view sexual communication with their children (p. 667). In the event of the first study, the analysis showed that the 16-19 year old girls with the lowest probability of having begun sexual relations by this age were those who had "spoken frequently with their mothers concerning sex, did not have a sister who had been pregnant during adolescence, and whose mother was married at the time of her first pregnancy" (Pick & Palos, 1995, p. 669). Similarly, girls in the younger age group, 12-15, were not likely to have engaged in sexual intercourse if they belonged to a similar familial structure. Furthermore, communication with a parent was generally shown to be an indicator of contraceptive use in 16-19 year old girls, as well as being associated with a lower likelihood of having ever gotten pregnant (p. 669)."

Tags:teens, adolescence, safety, sex

Abstract
This paper explores various factors that affect adolescent literacy. The author examines the impact of technology on adolescent literacy and the amount of research dedicated to the topic. The author further argues that research into the acquisition of literacy skills tends to focus on younger children, not teens. Statistics are cited that show low-teen literacy and competency. The author concludes with suggestions for strengthening adolescent literacy in the US.

From the Paper
"In this context - of becoming aware of the sociocultural impact on literacy and of technological development and influence on literacy -, it becomes clear that students have different needs, and opportunities, and teachers should facilitate the learning of new skills. For example, the works of Gina Cervetti, Michael Pardales, and James Damico examine the difference between critical reading, or reading analytically, and critical literacy, which involves the stances (or "subjectivities") taken when readers examine a text within particular sociocultural frameworks (Grisham, D., 2001). Reading critically, involves not only answering the question "What does this text mean?" but also asking "How does it come to have a particular meaning (and not some other)?" Similarly, literacy is more than school literacy, Donna Alvermann (2001) asserts. One form of literacy (academic literacy) should not prevail over multiple other forms (e.g., computer, visual, graphic, and scientific literacies) and the idea has been criticized for ignoring the fact that different texts and social contexts (reading for whom, with what purpose) require different reading skills (Barton, Hamilton, & Ivanic, 2000; Gee, 1996; Street, 1995)."

Tags:literacy, education, adolescents, teens, high, school

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the factors that influence adolescent perception. The writer looks at the main influences upon adolescent perception. The writer continues that these perceptions include parents, siblings, peers and the mass media. The writer examines how adolescents can bring their perceptual distortions closer to reality.

From the Paper
"Because adolescence is a time of rapid growth and change in the human developmental process, at this time in their lives adolescents are particularly susceptible to outside influences upon their behavior and perceptions of their lives. The main influences upon the perceptions of adolescents are generally considered to be their parents, siblings, peer groups and mass media. Here, we will not only examine how these particular influences can alter the perceptions and behaviors of adolescents, but also examine how adolescents can bring their perceptual distortions closer to ... "

Tags:adolescence, youth, perception

Abstract
This paper gives a summary of the findings from an interview with a counselor that uses cognitive behavior therapy to treat adolescents with generalized anxiety. The interview showed that most of the adolescent population that the counselor treated had resistance to the counseling session.

From the Paper
" The following presents a summary of findings from an interview with a counselor that uses cognitive behavior therapy to treat adolescents with generalized anxiety. The adolescents present with general anxiety most of the day, worry or apprehensive expectations that have lasted as long as they can remember or for at least six months..."

Tags:counselor, interview, cognitive behavior therapy, adolescents, anxiety

Abstract
This paper discusses the factor that affect adolescent literacy in the United States. Firstly, it is known that young learners receive much of their early literacy training from their families prior to entering the school system. It explains that this early education may not often correspond to a traditional curriculum, but may be perfectly acceptable within the cultural aspects of the child's community. Furthermore, the child's exposure to literature previous to entering school may be non-existent.

From the Paper
"Adolescent literacy in the United States is affected by many factors. First, it is known that young learners receive much of their early literacy training from their families prior to entering the school system. This early education may not often correspond to a traditional curriculum, but may be perfectly acceptable within the cultural aspects of the child's community. Furthermore, the child's exposure to literature previous to entering school may be non-existent. In either case it is evident that all children arrive at the door of education with varying backgrounds in literature, and that educators must be responsible for identifying and embracing these differences in order to enhance the student's literacy levels throughout his or her educational career. Secondly, many children in the country today exist in impoverished and homeless states. Their abilities to develop literacy strengths are not absent, yet, how these adolescents will ..."

Tags:literacy, education, adolescents