Running head: ADOLESCENCE: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES 1

Adolescence: Contemporary Issues

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Institution
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Teenagers between the ages of 13 to 19 face real concerns on a daily basis, and according

to (Seider et al., 2017), this happens because teen age is considered to be the most problematic

stage in the development of an individual. It is at this time that teenagers are exposed to a lot of

tremendous internal and external struggles. These individuals are expected to cope with puberty,

school, work pressure, hormonal changes, parental & social forces, etc. One of the contemporary

issues that teenagers face today is underage sex. Naturally, most youngsters acquire a healthy

and developmentally appropriate awareness in sexual relationships while they are young, and

some indulge in sexual activities even before they get to the age of consent.

External stressors that lead to the influence of underage sex include peer pressure,

abusive parents, or a result of rape. During the teenage stage, individuals are highly susceptible

to peer pressure since many hormonal changes are happening in their bodies, and they are unsure

of the right steps to take. Abusive parents can lead youngsters to seek shelter from other adults

who might influence them into having early sexual intercourse. Also, when a teenager is

unfortunately raped, the traumatic experience might affect them in a manner by which they can

only heal and find peace by having sex with consent (Seider et al., 2017).

Several assessment strategies can be employed to screen for this issue as well as the

external stressors. To begin with, a physician must speak with adolescents privately. According

to (Lyell et al., 2020), time alone with the individual increases the sharing of personal matters.

Also, an investigator could assess an individual's behavior by using tools such as the child's

sexual behavior inventory. The inventory results can help identify the behaviors of an adolescent

who has engaged themselves in underage sex. The external stressors can be assessed by

observation of a teenager's behavior. This is particularly achievable with the help of a parent or a

close friend. Teens who have been abused by their parents or raped tend to be closed off from
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close relationships. Those under peer pressure tend to hide critical information from their

parents; for instance, an adolescent girl might be reluctant to inform their parents about their first

menstrual cycle since they fear that it might give them away, assuming it could be an indication

of them participating in underage sex.

Some of the assessment questions that need to be asked include how the teenager got

themselves involved in underage sex for the first time if they were forced into the act, how many

times they have done it, and if they used protection in all instances, and the most recent event of

participating in underage sex. Some assessment results can be shared with the parent, for

instance, the teenager's physical and mental status and any medical issues associated with

underage sex (Lyell et al., 2020). Information that cannot be shared with the guardian or parent is

the teen's confidential info, such as where they have participated in underage sex.

For adolescents encountering external stressors, support options include promoting media

literacy, modeling healthy coping, and letting the adolescents be the problem-solvers. Since

today’s teenagers spend a lot of time on the internet, they can come across questionable content

and peer pressures of social media sites (Lyell et al., 2020). Parents could also talk with the

teenagers about how they’ve dealt with their stressful conditions. It is also essential to let

teenagers try to solve low-stake problems by themselves since it enables them to gain confidence

and deal with stressors and impediments. Finally, examiners and parents should help combat

negative thinking. Lyell et al. (2020) explain that teenagers can easily fall into a negative

thinking trap. The intervenor shouldn’t just disagree. They should reassure the teenager and

remind them of the many times they’ve worked hard and improved.
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References

Lyell, K. M., Coyle, S., Malecki, C. K., & Santuzzi, A. M. (2020). Parent and peer social support

compensation and internalizing problems in adolescence. Journal of School

Psychology, 83, 25-49.

Seider, S., Jayawickreme, E., & Lerner, R. M. (2017). Theoretical and empirical bases of

character development in adolescence: a view of the issues. Journal of Youth and

Adolescence, 46(6), 1149-1152.