We all know that teenagers need their friends, and spending time with others protects against anxiety and all sorts of other mental health problems. At the same time, groups of teens are far more likely to take risks and behave in a delinquent manner, which is what one of our listeners has discovered. Aged 13, her son has already started doing things with his friends that have got him into trouble with the police, so she's come to us for help.
In this episode we talk about long-term trends in teenage delinquency, what we know about the teenage brain, and the one key thing she can do to keep him from messing up badly whilst he's at this vulnerable age.
BEHAVIOUR CONTRACT:
https://www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/teenage-behaviour-contracts/
RESEARCH STUDIES:
The great decline in adolescent risk behaviours: Unitary trend, separate trends, or cascade https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953622009224#bib80 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2396566/#:~:text=Changes%20in%20Neural%20Oxytocin%20at,takes%20place%20early%20in%20adolescence.
https://www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/troubled-teen-boy/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.744794/full
https://www.understandingboys.com.au/how-to-handle-your-sons-unhealthy-risk-taking/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/talking-apes/202003/why-do-young-men-engage-in-risky-behaviors#:~:text=Risk%2Dtaking%20in%20males%20is,genes%20into%20the%20next%20generation.
https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/is-your-child-engaging-in-delinquent-behavior-4-ways-to-ma [Accessed 30 May 2023].
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