WHY YOU ARE DIFFERENT AS A TEENAGER?

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Hello everyone, thank you for reading my previous post. I hope you find this article useful and educating.

Today, the topic is focused on the challenge faced by teenagers as they struggle to ascertain independence from their parents. It is important we read this article and contribute to the reduction in the number of teenagers who engage in dangerous activities. Understanding what goes on during this age makes it easier to live with teenagers.

According to a report by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the major cause of death among the teenage population is due to injury and violence related to sex and substance abuse.

It has been reported that the percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who smoked cigarettes in a month was 4.2% (2015) and the percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who used alcohol in a month was 9.6% (2015). source

Who is a teenager?

A teenager is a boy or girl that is aged between 13 and 19 years, the teenager could also be called an adolescent. This period of life is the developmental stage when children are trained to become matured adults socially, physically, and intellectually. It is the transition stage between childhood and adulthood.

Why does the teenager have challenges?

Most teenagers have issues as a result because they think they lack control of their lives. This is because, during this stage of life, several people dictate to them, from parents to teachers and other members of the society. They may become involved with irresponsible behaviour, offensive crimes, unprotected sex, and other unacceptable characteristics.

Why these challenges?

• During the teen’s period, the hormones responsible for depression and anxiety are on the rise.
• Brain development: This can be influenced by the environment, production of sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone), age, sex, disease, nutritional status, substance abuse and heredity.
• Poor parenting: Power drunk and abusive parents, some parents are also outdated or backdated.
• Communication gap between parents and children. Some parents are just “flat mate parents”.
• Reduced parental supervision caused by parents career, sheer responsibility of parents
• Sex differences: Most “irresponsible behaviour” is usually associated with the male folk. The increases in gonadal and stress hormones, (a developmental feature of adolescence) contributes to the progression of sex differences especially the drinking of alcohol during puberty

What are the challenges faced by teenagers

• Challenges from peer pressure

During the adolescent age, the increases in sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) that bind to the receptors in the limbic system are responsible for stimulating sex drive and also increasing the adolescents’ emotional characteristics.
The limbic brain regions involved with impulse and motivation are not yet fully developed therefore pressure from friends, makes the adolescents more vulnerable to nicotine, and other drug addictions.

• Media pressure
  The frequent exposure of teens to emotional arousing stimuli from the mass media encourages substance abuse, alcohol abuse and unprotected sex. Only a few media specifically warns against this life-threatening activities.

• Societal/ Environmental influences
  Many communities provide teens with the opportunities to involve in some unruly behaviors, although access to and acceptability of guns, the purchase of cigarettes and in some cases, the ability to drive cars has been restricted and regulated to adults above the age of 18.It is important to note that it takes discipline to resist these risky behaviours especially in teens whose judgemental, emotional, and decision making abilities and skills are still developing.

What is responsible for the irrational immature of some teenagers?

It is an established fact that changes occur morphologically, emotionally and physiologically in the human brain especially during teenage age. The immature, neurobehavioral eagerness and the feeling of great enthusiasm during the teenager stage of life might be because of the following:

• The immature limbic system and prefrontal cortex which might the reason why the teen population is highly vulnerable to driving under the influence of alcohol. The brain development is not complete until about 25 years of age is specifically as a result of the prefrontal cortex.

The prefrontal cortex (part of the frontal lobes lying just behind the forehead) neurons relates with the neurons in the other parts of the brain playing a major role in abstract thought, controlling emotional impulses, and making judgments or taking decisions. This region is fully developed in adults and not in the teenager, thus affecting the capacity to exercise good judgements in the teenager. During this period, teenagers should be allowed to take decisions; they should not be overprotected but taught the right things with the show of love.

The nucleus accumbens is another part of the brain that forms early on in teens, and is regarded as the pleasure and reward zone of the brain. Imaging studies has shown that teenagers brain easily exhibit exaggerated responses compared to children and adults when presented large rewards.

In teenagers synaptic pruning occurs. This is a process of weeding out synapse (when connections that are no longer needed are removed or discarded)or unused connectors called the grey matter, making the brain more efficient and structured. Communication between the prefrontal cortex and other part of the brain occurs through the synapse. The back to the front development of the brain explains why the teenager behaves maturely sometimes and immaturely at other times.

• The release of neurotransmitters and synaptic plasticity (ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken after sometime, while responding to the increase or decrease in their activity.) may also be influenced by environmental neurotoxins and drugs abuse

Of the neurotransmitters in the CNS, dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin three play an important role in the development of teenager. They greatly affect the behaviour and altitude of the teenager.

Dopamine, when secreted, is transmitted (via specific receptors through the synapse) from one neuron to another influences the altitude of the teenager. It is interesting to note that the level of dopamine reduces during this time and then results in the in difficulties regulating emotions. This is why some teenager’s experiences mood swings sometimes.

Serotonin also decreases in level during this time; this is associated with anxiety, decreased impulse control etc.
The sleep-wake cycle is regulated by Melatonin (hormone that stimulates us to sleep) and cortisol (the waking up hormone) might be responsible for the reason why the teenager abuse drugs, alcohol and sometimes get involved in criminal act.

In adults, melatonin is usually released earlier than on the teen where melatonin is not released until around 12 midnight. Remember that adequate sleep is required for proper development of the brain. Late Melatonin in combination with the social media deprives the teenager of sleep.

Resolving the teenagers challenge by parents

Parents should open the communication doors

• As parents, updated yourselves and get informed
• Involve your teens in decision making
• If need be, visit a counsellor
• Show more interest in the life of your kids
• Treat your teens like mini adults and correct them with love, avoid ranting or scolding them
• Spend more time together and be supportive in their academics
• Delegate simple responsibilities and task to them
• Discipline your child wisely.

How can you become the teenager of choice?

Becoming a teenager of choice to the society is easy and achievable if you can take the following points seriously:

• Sleep adequately, enough sleep helps your brain develop properly.
• Avoid trouble and negative peer pressure, this can be achieved if can choose your pals and friends wisely.
• Prioritise the opinion of your parent, elders and teachers. Give honour to who honour it is due.
• Create time to discuss issues with your parents especially the things you love, this help them to support you better and also help pursue your interest.
• Be sociable
• Identify your goals earlier enough and work hard to achieve them
• Study well: Obtaining good grades in your academic work will automatically make people love you more.

REFERENCES

1. Clara Moskowitz
2. CDC
3. Amin M.
4. Raising children.net
5. Bethany Bookshire

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