Adolescent Social Issues

Adolescent Social Issues

Duncan, B., Harris, G., Krahe, S., Gillis, R., & Laguna, M. (2008). Common/Unity: An Innovative Program to Address 3 Root Causes of Many of the Social Ills Seen in Adolescents. Clinical Pediatrics. 47 (3), 280-287. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from EBSCOHost.

Teen pregnancy, negative self-esteem in adolescence, and the lack of support systems for disenfranchised youth are three social ills found in society. The negative effects of teen pregnancy are far reaching, affecting both the mother and child. Teenaged mothers are less apt to complete their high school education, they are more prone to be single parents, and they often live in poverty. This makes financial security, secondary education, and job skills training difficult to attain. Children of teenaged mothers are at risk for developmental challenges as a result of poverty, unstable home situations, and the low education level of their mothers. The children of teenaged mothers tend to be of low birth weight and are at a greater risk of being abused or neglected. Sons born to adolescent mothers are prone to becoming incarcerated, and daughters are prone to becoming teen mothers themselves. Adolescent mothers are also susceptible to suffering from low self-esteem and having few support systems. Adolescent self-worth is often found by joining cliques and peer-groups. Homeless youth adopt the traits of their given group, which might include drugs and alcohol. Others may participate in the survival tactics of theft or prostitution. The lack of support systems for children is of great detriment to their developmental capabilities. Many children of working parents or single-parent homes are left unsupervised or are enrolled in less than optimal day care facilities. Lacking the support of family, the children feel unneeded and believe that they cannot contribute to society and are therefore of little value.
In order to combat the three social ills of teenage pregnancy, low self-worth, and the lack of support systems, the Community Unity Project (CUP) was founded. The program consisted of agencies that provided short-term housing for homeless youth, case management, life skill classes, counseling in the prevention of and recovery from domestic violence and drug abuse, vocational or GED training, and parenting classes. Those families that were considered for the program were young single mothers with young children, those who were found to be inadequate in their parenting skills, and those who lacked support systems or were homeless. The CUP’s goals were to improve the attachment between children and their parents through parenting techniques, to lower the incidences of self-defeating behavior through positive peer support, and to introduce pediatric residents and student nurses to community help by participation in life skills classes.
The results of the Common Unity Project were mixed. The home-based one-on-one educational section was not effective with the population because scheduled home visits with a parent educator were repeatedly not kept. More than half of the residents tested with the Child Abuse Potential Inventory scored above the cutoff score for child abuse potential resulting in four women losing custody of their children. Also, over half of the women tested by the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training were determined to be at-risk in regard to their interactions with their children. Interestingly, most mothers thought that their relationships with their children were excellent. Community building responsibilities were more successful. The residents established a Resident’s Council with elected officers that democratically made rules for those living in the apartment complex. The mothers would turn to each other, the staff, and the Advisory Board members for any needs and support. Challenges did exist in retaining the mothers for more than a few months at a time. More than half would eventually leave for various reasons, including pregnancy, unemployment, drug problems, loss of children to Child Protective Services, and the programs inability to provide for their specific needs. Less than a quarter of the mothers stayed within the program to completion.
The article points to several failures that the Common Unity Project did not take into account. The most obvious being that the dysfunctional backgrounds of these women were still familiar, easier, and more comfortable to go back to than to work for change in a new environment. The women also had numerous obligations, such as multiple jobs, completing their education, and raising their children, which interfered with the project’s established activities. Neurological defects, cognitive difficulties, and addiction to drugs and alcohol, may have limited some women’s ability to participate fully in the program.
The article concludes that changes must be made in the program in order for future work with disenfranchised youth to be successful. More attention must be focused on the women’s internal motivation and decision-making abilities within the case management and life skills classes. Other ideas include an orientation for the women to enhance bonding between families before actually entering the program. A mentor program would also be of added benefit. The CUP must contend with years of poverty and dysfunctional upbringing found within these women’s past. The best that the CUP can do for their residents is to help these women become more committed to their children and consequently break the cycle of abuse.