Psychology of Adolescent Addiction

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Introduction/ Background
There are various forms of addictions that teenagers and adolescents indulge in. Various researchers have devices concepts, theoretical frameworks and models to try to identify the cause of addiction among young people. For instance, in a longitudinal study by Hansell and White (1991) & Shedler and Block (1990), results showed no correlation between “drug addiction and adolescents trying to cope with pre-existing psychological distress” (p. 288). On the contrary, drug addiction correlated to physical and psychological impairments over time (Hansell & White, 1991).
Prevalence of Addiction
Adolescence is a stage in life that is marred by physical and hormonal changes that influence a person’s field of decision-making. During this time, adolescents are enticed to experiment on drugs and other dangerous habits. Research has shown that substance abuse among the youth leads to troubled interpersonal relationships, increased vehicle accidents, physical dependence, unprotected sex, increased hostility, and increased suicidal ideation (Hansell & White, 1991; Newcomb, Scheier & Bentler, 1993; North, 2012).
At the inception of drug and substance abuse, adolescents take the habit for experimental purposes (O’Connor, 1997). In most cases, these experimentations are designed to make adolescents fit into different peers groups.
Recent research indicates that family system plays a vital role in the direction that an adolescent takes in as far as substance abuse is concerned (North, 2012; Gunnarsson, 2012). Research has shown that adolescents from single-parents tend to have a higher propensity to engage in substance abuse and other delinquent behavior unlike children in proper family setting with both parents present (...

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...://quantum.esu.edu/clubs/psychology/2012/12/04/adolescent-substance-abuse-societys-rising-concern/
O’Connor, G. (1997). The psychology of adolescent addiction. Valparaiso University Law Review 31(2), 701-720.
Shedler, J., & Block, J. (1990). Adolescent drug use and psychological health: A longitudinal inquiry. America Psychology 45(5), 612-630.
Van Solinge, T. B. (2004). Dealing with Drugs in Europe: An investigation of European drug control experiences: France, the Netherlands and Sweden. The Hague: Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology.
Vinum, C., & Nissen, M. (2006). Street level society – Social interventions into young people’s drug taking in Copenhagen. Critical Social Work 7(2). Retrieved February 13, 2014 from http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/street-level-society-social-interventions-into-young-peoples-drug-taking-in-copenhagen

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